NS Partners Ltd Sells 694 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

NS Partners Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 69,720 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 694 shares during the period. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $229.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average is $232.98 and its 200-day moving average is $232.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays boosted their target price 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, February 14th. 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, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,061 shares of company stock valued at $1,379,521. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.