Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Raises Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 39,030 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 690 shares during the period. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $196.88 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $220.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $228.15. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $56.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.