Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Boosted by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 44,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,875 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $225.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.65 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year 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 fifty day simple moving average is $232.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.57.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of 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. Insiders sold a total of 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.