Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 713,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 95,221 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 3.2% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $161,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $294,000. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 20,049 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,834,000 after buying an additional 1,477 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,649,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $33,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

BDX stock opened at $223.95 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.