Candriam S.C.A. Sells 28,460 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 28,460 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $41,733,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of 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 increased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $224.17 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.24, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $233.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.83. 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 announced 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.