Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,551 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 713 shares during the period. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position 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 valued at approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings 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 worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently 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 on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.38. The stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.