Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Bought by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• First Eagle Investment Management increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, making BDX its second-largest holding and about 4.0% of its portfolio.
• Recent analyst activity was mixed, with several target price changes but an overall Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $184.86.
• Becton, Dickinson reported quarterly EPS of $2.90, beating estimates, and revenue of $4.71 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share and a share buyback program.

First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,646,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,651,592 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 4.0% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned approximately 4.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $2,260,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Steph & Co. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Argus decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $143.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.23, a P/E/G ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $157.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.67 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.35 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.33%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD's products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company's operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD's product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.

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