Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC Sells 248 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 248 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 1.6% of Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $266,974,000 after buying an additional 424,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $404,485,000 after acquiring an additional 348,335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.96 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. 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’s 50-day moving average is $232.27 and its 200-day moving average is $231.87. The company has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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.