First Trust Advisors LP Has $55.52 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 296,644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,575 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.10% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $55,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $653,377,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,613,000 after buying an additional 1,670,590 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16,974.4% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,579,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $272,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,218 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:BDX opened at $163.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $187.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $192.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price 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, Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.