Avity Investment Management Inc. Sells 18,213 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Avity Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 170,464 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 18,213 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.6% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $25,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 40,711,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $790,079,000 after buying an additional 40,528,680 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in 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 grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,989,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,714,871,000 after purchasing an additional 116,737 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $2,260,139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position 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 worth $1,841,083,000 after purchasing an additional 336,110 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $176.53 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $154.37 and a 200 day moving average of $162.51. 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 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.19.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.84% and a net margin of 4.52%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.68 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 106.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,918,633.52. The trade was a 7.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $404,511.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at $16,122,355.05. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 valued at $765,661 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Becton, Dickinson and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results beat estimates. Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 5.4% year over year to approximately $5.0 billion, exceeding the $4.89 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.23 also surpassed expectations of $3.14, with growth across BD’s core medical and interventional businesses. BD Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: BD raised its fiscal 2026 outlook. The company now expects adjusted EPS of $12.62 to $12.72, above the prior outlook and the roughly $12.56 analyst consensus. Management also expects revenue growth toward the high end of its range and is targeting 90% free-cash-flow conversion. Year-to-date operating cash flow increased 33.3% to $2.1 billion, while free cash flow rose 44.6% to $1.7 billion. BD raises FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup became more bullish. Citi raised its price target from $198 to $204 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying meaningful upside based on the cited reference price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain divided. Piper Sandler lifted its target to $175 but maintained a “neutral” rating, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $170 and kept an “equal weight” rating. Both targets remain below the cited share price, limiting the positive impact of the revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and earnings comparisons are concerns. Although revenue and adjusted earnings beat forecasts, margins declined and adjusted EPS fell from $3.68 in the year-earlier quarter. The stock’s elevated valuation may also make investors more sensitive to profitability pressure.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays boosted 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. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $198.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. 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 company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.00.

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.