Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Position Lessened by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 74,940 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,323 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $156.56 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The company has a market capitalization of $44.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $186.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,787 shares of company stock valued at $551,391 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.