Crowley Wealth Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $230.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $232.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $66.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays boosted 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 research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.