Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by O Brien Greene & Co. Inc

O Brien Greene & Co. Inc reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 74.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,918 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 16,822 shares during the quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd 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 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on 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 upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.56 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.38. 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 stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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%. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.