Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,766 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd 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. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the 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 owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $224.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average is $232.60 and its 200-day moving average is $233.73.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.