Utah Retirement Systems Buys 100 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Utah Retirement Systems boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 408,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $92,585,000 after acquiring an additional 14,258 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 487,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $110,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,864 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,724,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $618,074,000 after purchasing an additional 115,943 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,419,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $321,981,000 after purchasing an additional 311,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 425.5% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $206.89 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.41 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a P/E/G 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $217.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.70.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $272.86.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.