Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Director Bertram Scott Sells 953 Shares of Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Director Bertram Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’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 owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $182.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.06 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.26. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $185.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $344,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 71.4% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $15,471,000 after purchasing an additional 34,437 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $650,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down previously from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.46.

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.