Pitcairn Co. Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Pitcairn Co. decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,834 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th 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. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their target price 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 upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 6.1 %

BDX stock opened at $208.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $59.73 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $204.95 and a one year high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $230.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.33.

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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

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.