Gabelli Funds LLC Buys 4,700 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 4,700 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during 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 last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on 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 reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $198.50 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $193.03 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 firm has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $221.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease 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 on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $915,986. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.