HM Payson & Co. Purchases 65 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

HM Payson & Co. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 52,249 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,061 shares of company stock valued at $1,379,521 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $229.51 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $232.98 and its 200-day moving average is $232.73. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 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 predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on 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. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.