Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDXGet Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 3,003 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 226% compared to the typical volume of 922 put options.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Read Our Latest Report on BDX

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $249.75 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $228.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $250.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDXGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

(Get Free Report)

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.

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