Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Position Trimmed by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 375,553 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 86,237 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 1.3% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $72,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 5,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $887,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 365.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 31,876 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,491,000 after acquiring an additional 25,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,501 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,048,000 after acquiring an additional 6,058 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $147.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $40.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.35 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 106.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Evercore lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.86.

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.