Caprock Group LLC Buys 1,423 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,423 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 58,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,196,000 after purchasing an additional 3,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the third quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 4,085 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $247.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 41.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $230.53 and a 200-day moving average of $233.81. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $250.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

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.