Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. Trims Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 93 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 147.5% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,302 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,207,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays increased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $229.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $65.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $231.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 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 year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

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

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.