DNB Asset Management AS Acquires 59,414 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 107.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,809 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,414 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $22,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,118,282,000 after acquiring an additional 4,223,149 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,872,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,596,496,000 after acquiring an additional 459,219 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 11,646,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,260,139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,592 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,486,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,841,083,000 after acquiring an additional 336,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE BDX opened at $143.32 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The stock has a market cap of $39.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.28, a P/E/G ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $154.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.33%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.