Prudential PLC Sells 3,385 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Prudential PLC trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 36.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,917 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,385 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 45,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.7% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,854,000 after buying an additional 1,599 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 6.1 %

BDX stock opened at $208.03 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $230.06 and a 200-day moving average of $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $198.30 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.