Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Position Boosted by Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Birch Hill Investment Advisors increased its Becton, Dickinson and Company position by 862.6% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 21,321 shares valued at approximately $3.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.97% of BDX.
• BDX was trading at $191.34, near its 52-week high, after reporting quarterly adjusted earnings of $3.23 per share and revenue of $4.98 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share, equivalent to a 2.2% annualized yield, while analysts maintained a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $185.07.

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 862.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,321 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 19,106 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% in 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 during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $3,721,533,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,000,064 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,269,960,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177,256 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 13,815,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,090,675,000 after buying an additional 1,887,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $474,993,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:BDX opened at $191.34 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $195.99. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $184.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.70. The company has a market capitalization of $52.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.63, a P/E/G ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.87.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 126.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $185.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $768,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at $20,380,155. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total transaction of $440,887.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,686,559.04. This represents a 14.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock valued at $1,265,855. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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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