15,329 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by Sovereign s Capital Management LLC

Sovereign s Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 15,329 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $3,478,000. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 2.2% of Sovereign s Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on 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 lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8%

BDX opened at $175.37 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 0.36% of the stock is 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.