Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $5.25 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 23,144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 51,157 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,606,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $746,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $248.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $72.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.81, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $250.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $229.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.55.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.