Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 88,620 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 66.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 88,620 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $9,635,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 58,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,196,000 after buying an additional 3,808 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $247.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $250.91. The company has a market capitalization of $71.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.69, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $230.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.66.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.