Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Has $8.54 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,648 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,279 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.6% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 6,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,040,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of 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. 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $224.89 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $232.60 and a 200 day moving average of $233.62. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 37.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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