Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 52.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,683 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,892 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,207,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 470 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

A number of research firms have issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $226.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.58. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.