Apollon Wealth Management LLC Has $2.40 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,565 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 429.2% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,466 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. First Affirmative Financial Network increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.9% during the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 1,226 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% during the third quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 35,295 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,510,000 after purchasing an additional 9,645 shares during the period. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $30,089,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

BDX opened at $230.22 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $232.07 and its 200 day moving average is $234.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results 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 expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 value of $990,787.83. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.