Investors Purchase Large Volume of Becton, Dickinson and Company Call Options (NYSE:BDX)

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors bought 4,318 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 57% compared to the typical volume of 2,758 call options.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $767,000. Busey Bank boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $200.61 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $227.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.68. The company has a market cap of $57.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $197.73 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.