Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Has $10.27 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,281 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 393 shares during the quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Americana Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $232.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.