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

Phraction Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,138 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 3.7% of Phraction Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Phraction Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on 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 upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of BDX opened at $225.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 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 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.94.

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, 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%. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.