Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Sells 5,097 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 398,474 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,097 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $90,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 97.7% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $859,000 after buying an additional 1,872 shares in the last quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $357,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,912,000 after buying an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of BDX opened at $175.37 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $203.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.72. The firm has a market cap of $50.26 billion, a PE ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of 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. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

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.