Mather Group LLC. Sells 192 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mather Group LLC. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 192 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $242.01 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.94. The firm has a market cap of $70.18 billion, a PE ratio of 40.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.