King Luther Capital Management Corp Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

King Luther Capital Management Corp cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 47 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $458,000. Aigen Investment Management LP raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 2,362 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.65 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.93 billion, a PE ratio of 36.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $232.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.