California State Teachers Retirement System Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 487,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,864 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $110,637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% in 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 buying an additional 311,915 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. grew 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 acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 422.1% during the fourth quarter. Mission Creek Capital Partners Inc. now owns 5,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 4,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 115.8% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 41,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,481,000 after acquiring an additional 22,422 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value 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 represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $205.10 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $193.03 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $58.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.07, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $218.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.98.

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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays reduced 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 report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.