Benjamin Edwards Inc. Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 139,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 14,243 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $26,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $344,000. Covea Finance increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covea Finance now owns 78,847 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,758,000 after purchasing an additional 7,610 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $983,000. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 905,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $169,531,000 after buying an additional 17,844 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,052 shares of company stock worth $201,235 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:BDX opened at $202.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $57.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.23. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $192.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $207.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.