Greenleaf Trust Sells 180 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Greenleaf Trust lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,870 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 180 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $247.57 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $230.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.83. The firm has a market cap of $71.80 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.