FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $839,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

BDX stock opened at $227.34 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.72.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.