Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Cuts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 467,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 13,322 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $105,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in 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 worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.34 on Friday. 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $231.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.73. The company has a market capitalization of $65.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. 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 note on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.