Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 110 shares during the quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,061 shares of company stock worth $1,379,521 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $229.51 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.72. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.