RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $366,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,613 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $366,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $226.55 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $65.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average is $231.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays increased 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 research note 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 report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.