Portland Global Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Portland Global Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,621 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Portland Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 233.5% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 103,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $23,523,000 after purchasing an additional 72,714 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $1,792,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $1,971,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 98,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $22,296,000 after acquiring an additional 16,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 116,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of BDX opened at $227.34 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $231.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.73. The firm has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given 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 yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

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

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.