Moors & Cabot Inc. Purchases 438 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 worth $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 20,049 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,834,000 after buying an additional 1,477 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,649,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $223.95 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. 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 50 day moving average of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average of $232.51.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.