Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 410,328 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 29,581 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $93,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. 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, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $198.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50-day moving average is $221.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.87. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $193.03 and a 1 year high of $251.99. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS 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 anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,078 shares of company stock worth $915,986 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.