Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) CEO Sells $628,530.00 in Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total value of $628,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,134,230. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.0%

BDX opened at $214.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $189.73 and its 200 day moving average is $170.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.11 and a fifty-two week high of $216.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.87, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.22.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.45%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.47.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Moneco Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.