Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.

BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 708 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.8 %

BDX stock opened at $229.51 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $65.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.12, a PEG 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. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.71. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 share repurchase program 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. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.