Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 72.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 328,714 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 851,001 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $74,575,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 5,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4,067.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 1,749 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the period. Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,746.9% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 18,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,431,000 after acquiring an additional 17,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the third quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.56 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.38. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

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.