CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 265,848 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 10,537 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned about 0.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $60,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in 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. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

BDX stock opened at $198.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $193.03 and a one year high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $221.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $915,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.