Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $84.06 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 370,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,171 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.13% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $84,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during 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 during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 6.1 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $208.03 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $230.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $204.95 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.