1,112 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by Savvy Advisors Inc.

Savvy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $735,523,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $181,279,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after purchasing an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler upped 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 cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of 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, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $202.02 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $222.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.01 billion, a PE ratio of 33.56, 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, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.