Ninety One North America Inc. Sells 769 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ninety One North America Inc. cut its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,874 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 769 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $245.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $71.18 billion, a PE ratio of 41.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.83.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company 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.