Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 80,821 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,900 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 152.2% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $768,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,380,155. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,686,559.04. The trade was a 14.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $1,974,669. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $191.95 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.82, a PEG ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $192.30.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.68 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 126.51%.

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.