WASHINGTON TRUST Co Trims Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

WASHINGTON TRUST Co reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 63,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,326 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Howland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $626,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BDX. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $176.04 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $50.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $195.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.03.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.