Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 862.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 107,350 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $23,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Bahl & Gaynor LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor LLC now owns 58,575 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,485,000 after purchasing an additional 4,314 shares during the period. Letson Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.6% during the third quarter. Letson Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,592,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 48.0% in the third quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 5,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,675 shares during the period. Moneco Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 1,926 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares in the company, valued at $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $628,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at $23,134,230. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 3,310 shares of company stock valued at $688,650 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Zacks Research raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $208.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $214.74 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.22. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $189.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.87. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $140.11 and a 1 year high of $216.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.11 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.45%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies. BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.