Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. Purchases 4,808 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 422.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 4,808 shares during the period. Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $272.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director now 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $205.30 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $218.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $227.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $193.03 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $58.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback 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. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.