Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Parallel Advisors LLC

Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

BDX opened at $231.83 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 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 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler upped 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, 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.