Hopwood Financial Services Inc. Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 170 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $39,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $294,000. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 20,049 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,477 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,649,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % 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 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. 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. Barclays raised their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $223.95 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $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. The stock has a market cap 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.