Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Sells 33,000 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 33,000 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 0.4% of Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 38,674 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,505,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 320,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $62,280,000 after acquiring an additional 5,042 shares during the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 62,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,211,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $205,000. Finally, Strs Ohio increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 302,819 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,768,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $144.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $127.59 and a one year high of $187.35. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $159.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous 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. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock 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 reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909 over the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.57.

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.