Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. Has $2.50 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,499,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $928,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $1,273,000. Edge Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,693.5% in the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 34,165 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,751,000 after buying an additional 32,942 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,835,000 after buying an additional 3,570 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents 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 accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, 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 three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $230.14 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.21. 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 results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts forecast 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 stock 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 often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

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.