Boston Financial Mangement LLC Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Boston Financial Mangement LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 369 shares during the quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the third quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Americana Partners LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.98 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 fifty day moving average price of $232.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.34. The company has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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.