Intact Investment Management Inc. Reduces Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Intact Investment Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,250 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $458,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $226.43 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $65.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.