Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,652 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,501 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 64.2% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $190 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade may be the biggest near-term catalyst, signaling that UBS sees improving risk-reward prospects for BD. UBS initiates coverage of Becton Dickinson
• Positive Sentiment: BD and Brazilian pharmaceutical company EMS launched a semaglutide product in Brazil, combining EMS’s pharmaceutical capabilities with BD’s advanced drug-delivery technology. The partnership could expand access to GLP-1 therapies and create potential demand for BD’s injection and delivery systems. EMS and BD semaglutide launch
• Neutral Sentiment: BD declared a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 9. The announcement supports the company’s shareholder-return profile, although the dividend was expected and is unlikely to materially change earnings expectations. BD dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Michael Feld sold 75 shares worth approximately $11,785 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Because the sale reduced his holdings by only 0.36% and was scheduled in advance, it represents a limited negative signal rather than a major change in insider sentiment. BDX insider stock sale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $177.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.93.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $168.56 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $151.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.89. The firm has a market cap of $46.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.67, a PEG ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.21. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.35 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 106.33%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total transaction of $160,226.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,918,633.52. This represents a 7.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 5,189 shares of company stock worth $765,661 in the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.