Martingale Asset Management L P Has $8.23 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 36,283 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 13,874 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,067,196,000 after buying an additional 184,288 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,437,161,000 after purchasing an additional 66,024 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,401,126,000 after purchasing an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $967,745,000 after buying an additional 267,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $209.57 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $193.03 and a 1 year high of $251.99. 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 simple moving average is $225.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.36. The firm has a market cap of $60.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 (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%. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.71.

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.