WR Wealth Planners LLC Lowers Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

WR Wealth Planners LLC lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 312 shares during the quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $1,308,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 36,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,290,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,721 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. First American Bank raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. First American Bank now owns 7,165 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the period. Finally, Hahn Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 30,567 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,935,000 after purchasing an additional 9,844 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $225.57 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $233.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.