First National Bank of Omaha Acquires Shares of 12,032 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

First National Bank of Omaha bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 12,032 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,252,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $261,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.0% in the third quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 39,656 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,422,000 after purchasing an additional 12,113 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.2% in the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 89,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $16,690,000 after purchasing an additional 16,805 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.2% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 868 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, M&G PLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 935,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $174,935,000 after purchasing an additional 43,404 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $182.82 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $185.02. The company has a market capitalization of $52.06 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average of $198.01 and a 200-day moving average of $192.26.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock valued at $675,557. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.