RD Lewis Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

RD Lewis Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $416,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.8% in the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 857,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $206,816,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $227.84 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $232.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.19. The company has a market cap of $65.42 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.