Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 71,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,804,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,437,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.0% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 42,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,129,000 after purchasing an additional 16,074 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays increased 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $228.40 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $233.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.98. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.58 billion, a PE ratio of 37.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.