Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third 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. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.4% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.56 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.38.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.