Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Sells 6,900 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 54,746 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,900 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,420,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.54 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $65.33 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average of $233.27. 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 has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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.