Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ICW Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,901 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,019,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 377.3% during the 4th quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,508 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,611,000 after buying an additional 9,097 shares during the last quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $311,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,067,196,000 after buying an additional 184,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 139.0% during the 4th quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 2,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $556,000 after buying an additional 1,426 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $230.63 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $232.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding 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 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.