Credit Agricole S A Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.3%, now holding 109,111 shares valued at approximately $24.99 million.
• Analyst ratings for BDX show a mix of opinions, with William Blair and Citigroup lowering their ratings, while Morgan Stanley and others have set a target price as high as $211.44.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, translating to an annualized yield of 2.1%, with a dividend payout ratio of 74.82%.

Credit Agricole S A raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,111 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 6,494 shares during the period. Credit Agricole S A's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $24,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $18,808,000 after purchasing an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.5%

BDX stock traded up $2.8730 on Friday, reaching $199.5030. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,619,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,720,196. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.60. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $57.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.88, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given 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 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 report on Friday, August 8th. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.