Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Sells 1,024 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 27.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,024 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings 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 worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8 %

BDX stock opened at $229.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $232.98 and a 200-day moving average of $232.71. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays increased their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.