Wellington Management Group LLP Sells 40,566 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,070,405 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 40,566 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $242,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 13,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,950,000 after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,378,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $766,572,000 after buying an additional 212,635 shares during the period. United Bank increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. United Bank now owns 3,798 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $862,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 233.5% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 103,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $23,523,000 after acquiring an additional 72,714 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $1,792,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were 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 owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective 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 research note on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $226.04 on Wednesday. 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $231.38 and a 200 day moving average of $231.62. The firm has a market cap of $64.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.55, 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, 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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.