Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $84.06 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 370,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,171 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $84,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC raised its position 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 valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the 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 $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have 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 Trading Down 6.1 %

BDX opened at $208.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $204.95 and a 12 month high of $251.99. 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 issued 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 approved 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. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

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.