Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Generation Investment Management LLP

Generation Investment Management LLP lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,984,672 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 774,635 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.5% of Generation Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Generation Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $371,471,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,455,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,074,750,000 after buying an additional 147,041 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,712,715,000 after purchasing an additional 636,138 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after purchasing an additional 3,268,478 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,153,157,000 after purchasing an additional 244,199 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $675,557. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.7%

BDX opened at $184.16 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $186.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a PE ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $197.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.