Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. cut its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 42.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 960 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% during the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,693,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $231.83 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 $232.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.