Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Has $29.63 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $29,629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,854,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,909 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $938,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 149,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,065,000 after acquiring an additional 1,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $767,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 4.9 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $199.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a PE ratio of 33.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $224.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.09. 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 issued its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program 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 programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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