Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.5%, now holding approximately 1.37 million shares worth $314 million.
• Several institutional investors, including the Saudi Central Bank and Smallwood Wealth Investment Management, have made new purchases in Becton, Dickinson, showcasing growing interest in the company.
• Research analysts have set a new average target price of $211.44 for Becton, Dickinson, with mixed ratings reflecting both buy and hold sentiments among industry experts.

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,371,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 79,913 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.48% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $314,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 397.6% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 96,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $20,439,000 after acquiring an additional 77,150 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 525,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $118,807,000 after buying an additional 117,735 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,311 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $137,436,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.7% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $725,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $191.06. 451,119 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,589,538. The stock has a market cap of $54.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $185.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.82%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.