Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 2,235 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 142.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,807 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $864,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,149,000 after acquiring an additional 2,314 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. Brown Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $690,000. Creekside Partners acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $9,635,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler boosted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $246.85 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $229.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.46. The firm has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $250.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.