Atwood & Palmer Inc. Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Atwood & Palmer Inc. has reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0%, now holding 23,032 shares valued at approximately $3.97 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for Becton, Dickinson have varied, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.
• Becton, Dickinson has reported a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, yielding approximately 2.2% annually, with a payout ratio of 74.82%.

Atwood & Palmer Inc. decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,032 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,013 shares during the period. Atwood & Palmer Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,248,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $989,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.8%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $187.23 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $186.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Becton, Dickinson and 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.

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