KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 109,480 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 109,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $24,838,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $950,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $461,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 12,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,108,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,131,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $230.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’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 transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.