Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Northcape Wealth Management LLC

Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 6,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.8% in the third quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s 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 $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.11 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $64.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.