Millstone Evans Group LLC Purchases New Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $52,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 423,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,133,000 after buying an additional 13,520 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 6,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,381,000. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $230.63 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $232.58 and a 200-day moving average of $231.93. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 a total of 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

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.