Howe & Rusling Inc. Has $5.49 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Howe & Rusling Inc. lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,583 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $767,000. Busey Bank raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $227.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.18 and a 200-day moving average of $231.85.

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, 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on BDX. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Company 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.