Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Position Decreased by Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 63.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,760 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,405 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,919,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $359,255,000 after buying an additional 71,676 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $643,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 376,835 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $70,532,000 after purchasing an additional 80,092 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.7% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 141,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,386,000 after buying an additional 37,902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 78.2% during the 3rd quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 13,753 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,574,000 after purchasing an additional 6,035 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.46.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 shares were 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $163.90 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $192.03 and its 200 day moving average is $190.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a PEG ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.