Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Has $763,000 Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,373 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 15,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,539,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the period. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,503,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the period. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $366,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,437,161,000 after acquiring an additional 66,024 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $208.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $230.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $204.95 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.