Korea Investment CORP Decreases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Korea Investment CORP cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 129,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 69,142 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $22,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,458,000. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Hutchinson Financial Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,024,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.1%

BDX stock opened at $194.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $187.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $55.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.