Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC

Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,748 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 719 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $229.10 on Tuesday. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.91. The stock has a market cap of $65.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is 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.