Banque Transatlantique SA Acquires 77,150 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Banque Transatlantique SA increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 397.6%, owning 96,555 shares valued at approximately $20.4 million.
• Several hedge funds, including GQG Partners LLC and Vanguard Group Inc., have recently modified their holdings, contributing to institutional investors holding 86.97% of the company's stock.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported $3.68 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share.

Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 397.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 96,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 77,150 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th 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 period. Hara Capital LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $3,317,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $2,470,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 16,816 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,815,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $192.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,244,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,050,719. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $185.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.84. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.