Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stock Sold by Palisade Asset Management LLC

Palisade Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 39,153 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,939 shares during the quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $3,721,533,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,000,064 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,269,960,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,256 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 13,815,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,090,675,000 after buying an additional 1,887,224 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $474,993,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,101,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $318,050,000 after buying an additional 30,766 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BD reported Q4 adjusted earnings of $4.15 per share and revenue of $5.27 billion, topping analyst expectations; revenue rose 5.4% year over year. BD fiscal 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised the quarterly dividend 1% to $1.06 per share and authorized repurchases of up to 10 million shares, or about 3.6% of shares outstanding. Dividend increase and share repurchase authorization
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $241 and assigned a “buy” rating; Evercore ISI also lifted its target, to $230 from $210. Citigroup analyst rating Evercore ISI price target
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC raised its target to $225 but kept a “sector perform” rating, while Piper Sandler raised its target to $200 and maintained “neutral”—below the stock’s recent trading level. RBC analyst rating Piper Sandler price target
• Negative Sentiment: The main concern is the fiscal 2027 outlook: coverage reports say revenue-growth guidance came in just below expectations, tempering the impact of the Q4 beat and prompting investor concern. Fiscal 2027 guidance coverage

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE BDX opened at $212.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a fifty day moving average of $188.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.27, a PEG ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $137.35 and a 52 week high of $214.88.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 126.51%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $768,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,380,155. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,717,022.80. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,907 shares of company stock worth $1,269,128. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies.

BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.