Dearborn Partners LLC Has $31.10 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dearborn Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 137,079 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,880 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $31,099,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.09 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $232.99 and its 200 day moving average is $232.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a PE ratio of 37.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.