Prudent Man Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Prudent Man Advisors LLC decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,262 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 445 shares during the period. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $304,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.4% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 83,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,104,000 after purchasing an additional 9,190 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.9% during the third quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 131,105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,609,000 after buying an additional 18,958 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 is presently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Barclays upped their target price 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. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.