Oak Thistle LLC Boosts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 426.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 20,462 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 0.7% of Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crux Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors now owns 6,297 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,222,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Solutions LLC now owns 1,172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $154.87 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $173.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $186.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase 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 purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 68.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the 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 sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock worth $536,881. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Zacks Research cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Argus dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.