Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Buys 399 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $211,097,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $155,080,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $191.94 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $186.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.02 billion, a PE ratio of 34.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on BDX. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Three investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.40.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.