Insider Selling: Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) CEO Sells $628,530.00 in Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $628,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at $23,134,230. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $3.25 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $215.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,039,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,436,180. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $188.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $138.31 and a 52 week high of $216.74. The company has a market capitalization of $59.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.42%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.4% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,507 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 10,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,913,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Meramec Financial Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Meramec Financial Planners LLC now owns 612 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $4,157,000. Finally, IFG Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 10,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies.

BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.