Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Capital Fund Management S.A.

Capital Fund Management S.A. lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 126,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 45,189 shares during the quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $28,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Phoenix Financial Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $227,000. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 36,283 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,232,000 after acquiring an additional 13,874 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 604.3% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 176,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,611,000 after acquiring an additional 151,208 shares during the period. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 109,334 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,805,000 after buying an additional 7,737 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 4.4 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $209.57 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $225.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $193.03 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $60.17 billion, a PE ratio of 34.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.