Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 50,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $11,344,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 45,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,077,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,854,000 after buying an additional 1,599 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 6.1 %

BDX stock opened at $208.03 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $204.95 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $230.06 and its 200 day moving average is $231.33. 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 stock has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, sell-side 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 has authorized 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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 given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis 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 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler upped 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective 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, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.