Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Sells 4,305 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,305 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:BDX opened at $158.23 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $182.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a P/E/G ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.24.

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

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’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 approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,787 shares of company stock valued at $551,391 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.62.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.