Bard Financial Services Inc. Purchases Shares of 4,585 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Bard Financial Services Inc. has acquired 4,585 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company, valued at approximately $790,000, during the second quarter.
• Analysts have varying targets for Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock price, with Barclays lowering its target from $261.00 to $241.00 and Wells Fargo raising it from $172.00 to $184.00.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 2.2%, payable on September 30th.

Bard Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $790,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $187.23 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $53.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $186.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.26.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, 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 transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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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