Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Sells 45,331 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 195,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 45,331 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $35,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the third quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators now owns 82,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,740,000 after acquiring an additional 4,958 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.6% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.9% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 119,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,372,000 after acquiring an additional 14,579 shares during the last quarter. Bayban increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 74.0% during the third quarter. Bayban now owns 214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.8% in the third quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 16,266 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $217.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.64, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $140.11 and a 52-week high of $219.78. The business’s 50 day moving average is $190.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 5.66%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.21 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.45%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.47.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. This trade represents a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total value of $628,530.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,134,230. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,310 shares of company stock worth $688,650 in the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.