Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Reduces Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 101,490 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $23,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 45,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $735,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,854,000 after buying an additional 1,599 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $208.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $230.06 and a 200 day moving average of $231.33. The firm has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $204.95 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. 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. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of 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, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.