Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 484 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE BDX opened at $223.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.20, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.51.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its 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, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 an average price target 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.