Nuance Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Nuance Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 166,535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 85,354 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 3.2% of Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $31,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,463 shares of company stock valued at $501,530. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $233.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:BDX opened at $210.45 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $199.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $235.34. The company has a market capitalization of $59.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.81 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.