Hickory Asset Management Inc. Buys New Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hickory Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 19,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,429,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 135,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,974,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265 shares in the last quarter. SFE Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 22,820 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 3,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,344,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $224.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $232.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 37.36, 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler raised 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 lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.