John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Has $5.96 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2,241.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 26,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,129 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $225.57 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.02.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price objective on 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. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on 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 cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were 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 owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.