Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,367 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 148 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $647,082,000 after purchasing an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after acquiring an additional 460,440 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,974,000 after acquiring an additional 424,487 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6 %

BDX stock opened at $225.57 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $64.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $233.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 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.