Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Cut by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 37.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,577,457 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 924,870 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 4.3% of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board owned approximately 0.54% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $357,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 208.4% in the fourth quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 34,712 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,875,000 after acquiring an additional 23,457 shares during the last quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $4,682,000. Broyhill Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $306,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $597,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $205.65 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.