Vest Financial LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 298,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,599 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $55,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.5% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:BDX opened at $203.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $196.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $57.92 billion, a PE ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.81 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $207.64.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,662 shares of company stock valued at $535,246. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.