Swedbank AB Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2%, now owning approximately 154,190 shares valued at $35.3 million.
• Insider selling includes Director Claire Fraser and EVP Michael David Garrison, with significant decreases in their ownership post-sale.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported a 10.4% year-over-year increase in quarterly revenue, totaling $5.51 billion, and exceeded EPS estimates with a reported $3.68.

Swedbank AB grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 154,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $35,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the first quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the first quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Brady Family Wealth LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $213.30.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.20 on Thursday, hitting $188.77. 351,658 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,541,469. The firm's 50-day moving average is $187.20 and its 200 day moving average is $190.92. The company has a market capitalization of $54.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The business'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.