ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Sells 139,760 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 30.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 326,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 139,760 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 0.5% of ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $74,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,207,000. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $247,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their target price 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. Barclays raised their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $226.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $65.05 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $231.15 and a 200-day moving average of $231.58. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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

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.