SFE Investment Counsel Decreases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

SFE Investment Counsel lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,830 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $15,471,000 after acquiring an additional 34,437 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $650,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 49.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 225,967 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $42,294,000 after acquiring an additional 74,795 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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 sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $143.97 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $155.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.87. The company has a market capitalization of $39.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.45, a P/E/G ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.86.

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.