J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. Has $6.57 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,944 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 85 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 0.6% of J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 11,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,630,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $404,485,000 after purchasing an additional 348,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,833.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 119,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,019,000 after purchasing an additional 112,935 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.6 %

BDX opened at $226.43 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.37. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $65.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.