Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,308,708 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 18,507 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.45% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $296,907,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $227.34 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $231.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.73. The stock has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company 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.