Byrne Asset Management LLC Sells 382 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Byrne Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 382 shares during the quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $680,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $230.22 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $66.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $231.90 and a 200-day moving average of $234.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.