Insider Selling: Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Director Sells 700 Shares of Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.7 %

BDX stock traded down $3.80 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $225.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,269,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,235,676. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.94. The company has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.