Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 31.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.2% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 1.53% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,004,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carret Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 11,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,630,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $404,485,000 after acquiring an additional 348,335 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,833.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 119,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,019,000 after acquiring an additional 112,935 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 20,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LBP AM SA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 326,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,149,000 after buying an additional 97,007 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $222.65 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.44. The company has a market capitalization of $63.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 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 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.