Blueshift Asset Management LLC Acquires Shares of 977 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $266,974,000 after acquiring an additional 424,487 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $404,485,000 after acquiring an additional 348,335 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

BDX stock opened at $230.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $232.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.97. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.