Metis Global Partners LLC Has $2.58 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,362 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,308,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 36,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,290,000 after buying an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,721 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the period. First American Bank increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. First American Bank now owns 7,165 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hahn Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 30,567 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,935,000 after acquiring an additional 9,844 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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 that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped 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, February 14th. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $225.57 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.02.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

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.