Coign Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 2,637 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Coign Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 2,637 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $598,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $767,000. Busey Bank raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $8,382,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 4.9 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $199.15 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $224.78 and a 200 day moving average of $230.09. The stock has a market cap of $57.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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 research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.71.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.