Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,481 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted 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. Piper Sandler upped 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

BDX stock opened at $232.12 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $232.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.12. The firm has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.