Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,499 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 600,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,168,000 after acquiring an additional 39,162 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,119,000 after purchasing an additional 8,230 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $735,523,000. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 39,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,875,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the period. Finally, Pragma Gestao DE Patrimonio Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,403,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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 downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $227.34 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $231.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.72.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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, sell-side 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 approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.