Empirical Finance LLC Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,623 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,503,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 24,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,470,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,565 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,397,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 237,853 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $53,962,000 after acquiring an additional 31,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,815 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $230.22 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.07 and a 200 day moving average of $234.04. The stock has a market cap of $66.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan 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 plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their target price on 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 lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.