Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by West Tower Group LLC

West Tower Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 81.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.0% of West Tower Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. West Tower Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 16,918 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,415,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $1,693,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. 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, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $232.12 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.12. The company has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a PE ratio of 38.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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.