Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Sabal Trust CO

Sabal Trust CO boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 99.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,533 shares during the quarter. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of 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, Barclays increased their target price on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $230.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $233.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.21. The company has a market capitalization of $66.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.