Corebridge Financial Inc. Sells 3,183 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Corebridge Financial Inc. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 66,430 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,183 shares during the period. Corebridge Financial Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,071,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Twin City Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 377.3% during the fourth quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,508 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,611,000 after purchasing an additional 9,097 shares during the last quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $311,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,067,196,000 after acquiring an additional 184,288 shares in the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 139.0% during the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 2,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 298,286 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $67,672,000 after buying an additional 22,272 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Barclays raised their target price 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. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

BDX stock opened at $229.10 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $65.78 billion, a PE ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.