Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Boosted by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 34.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 926,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 235,058 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.32% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $210,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 174,077 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,493,000 after acquiring an additional 35,401 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $20,930,000. PAX Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 4,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,129,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 6.1 %

NYSE BDX opened at $208.03 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 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $230.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $194.46 and a one year high of $251.99.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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 insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.