Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 435,930 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,192 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.9% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $99,854,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,880,510,000 after purchasing an additional 448,644 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,012,649,000 after purchasing an additional 312,124 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $199.5030 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $180.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.60.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.44.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.