Cibc World Markets Corp Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,414 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $232.12 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $232.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.