Whittier Trust Co. Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $230.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 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 $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan 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 plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 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.