American Century Companies Inc. Raises Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.7%, acquiring an additional 228,577 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to approximately $590 million.
• Hedge funds collectively own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson’s shares, with several funds significantly increasing their stakes in the company during the fourth quarter.
• Becton, Dickinson announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, representing a yield of 2.1%, with a payout ratio of 74.82%.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,576,697 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 228,577 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.90% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $590,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $689,833,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $211,097,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded up $2.8470 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $197.8470. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,878,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,666,466. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $56.71 billion, a PE ratio of 35.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $178.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.21.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the 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 $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.