Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 96,635 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.8% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $21,924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $224.17 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $233.02 and a 200 day moving average of $232.83. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

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 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 research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report 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. Finally, Barclays upped 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, 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 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. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.