Shariaportfolio Inc. Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Shariaportfolio Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,940 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 0.9% of Shariaportfolio Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Shariaportfolio Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.54 on Monday. 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.40.

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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.