Generate Investment Management Ltd Buys Shares of 65,000 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Generate Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 65,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $12,615,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after buying an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,870,653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $150,051,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Argus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $154.52 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $187.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $180.63 and a 200-day moving average of $187.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend 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%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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 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 trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.