Vinva Investment Management Ltd Has $3.58 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,786 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 518 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. West Tower Group LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 81.8% in the fourth quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. ProVise Management Group LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 46,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,541,000 after purchasing an additional 6,344 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 41,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 55,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after purchasing an additional 9,101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of 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. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on 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 boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $232.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.