Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Acquires 46,773 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 56.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 129,286 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,773 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $25,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after buying an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,870,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,218 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $150,051,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.62.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the 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 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.8%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $154.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.52%.

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

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.