National Pension Service Boosts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 463,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 18,333 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $89,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 5,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 365.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 31,876 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,491,000 after purchasing an additional 25,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,501 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,048,000 after purchasing an additional 6,058 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of BDX opened at $147.13 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $151.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.02. The stock has a market cap of $40.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.51 and a beta of 0.22.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.64.

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.