Vista Investment Partners LLC Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 104.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,865 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 65.7% during the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 26,897 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,815,000 after acquiring an additional 10,661 shares in the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.3% in the third quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 4,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the third quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 25,309 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,530,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, Nautilus Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nautilus Advisors LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $182.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 592,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,495,840. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $50.21 billion, a PE ratio of 54.89, a P/E/G ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.21. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.18. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $193.07.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.68 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 126.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $185.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $768,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,380,155. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total transaction of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,686,559.04. The trade was a 14.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock valued at $1,265,855 in the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells devices, diagnostic products and solutions for healthcare providers, researchers and patients. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the company serves customers in hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies and other healthcare settings worldwide.

BD’s Medical segment offers products used for medication delivery and management, including needles, syringes, infusion systems, medication preparation and dispensing technologies, and systems designed to help improve medication safety.