Avity Investment Management Inc. Buys 41,206 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Avity Investment Management increased its Becton, Dickinson and Company stake by 24.2% in the third quarter, adding 41,206 shares to own 211,670 shares valued at approximately $40.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with seven Buy, nine Hold and one Sell rating; the consensus rating is Hold with a target price of $185.07.
• BDX reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, while its shares traded at $183.69. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 24.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 211,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 41,206 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 2.4% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $40,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 40,711,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $790,079,000 after acquiring an additional 40,528,680 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,721,533,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $474,993,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 13,815,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,090,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,887,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $247,372,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine 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 target price of $185.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on 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 $3,717,022.80. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,686,559.04. This represents a 14.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,906 shares of company stock worth $1,265,855. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $183.69. 1,615,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,494,176. The company has a market capitalization of $50.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company's 50 day moving average is $181.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.38. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $193.07.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.68 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 126.51%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells devices, diagnostic products and solutions for healthcare providers, researchers and patients. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the company serves customers in hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies and other healthcare settings worldwide.

BD's Medical segment offers products used for medication delivery and management, including needles, syringes, infusion systems, medication preparation and dispensing technologies, and systems designed to help improve medication safety.

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