Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC

Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 446 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $211,097,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $155,080,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of BDX opened at $191.94 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $55.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.79.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.