Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC Takes $768,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $768,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 44,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,033,000 after buying an additional 5,875 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 77,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $17,495,000 after purchasing an additional 6,210 shares during the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 8,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,927,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 29,442 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,680,000 after purchasing an additional 8,129 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Barclays increased their price objective on 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. Piper Sandler upped their target price 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, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $229.51 on Monday. 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 has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.98 and its 200 day moving average is $232.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given 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 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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.