Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,306 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,700 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $150,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $240,000. Finally, CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 128.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $229.50 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.99.

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 (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.