Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. Sells 50 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,817 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after buying an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,510,050,000 after acquiring an additional 111,101 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,053,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $692,729,000 after acquiring an additional 66,873 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $227.95 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.85. 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 $65.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (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%. Analysts expect 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 has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management 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 given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler upped 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.