RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,613 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $366,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,207,000. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $247,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $226.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $65.05 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $231.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.58. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 expect 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 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio 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 Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.