Flossbach Von Storch SE Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Flossbach Von Storch SE cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 30.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 190,637 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 84,424 shares during the quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $43,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 5,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,376,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4,067.4% during the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 1,749 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,376,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,746.9% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 18,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,431,000 after buying an additional 17,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the third quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $511,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.56 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $232.85 and its 200 day moving average is $233.38.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management 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.