Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Boosted by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,053,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 66,873 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $692,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,804,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,437,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.0% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 42,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,129,000 after buying an additional 16,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 39.0% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,467 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.7 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $64.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $233.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.89.

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

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Becton, Dickinson and 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.