Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Purchased by Cooke & Bieler LP

Key Points

• Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its Becton, Dickinson stake by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 240,673 more shares and bringing its total to 1,126,471 shares worth about $218.6 million. The stock now makes up 2.3% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Becton, Dickinson beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $2.90 versus the $2.77 estimate and revenue of $4.71 billion versus $4.67 billion expected. Revenue rose 5.2% year over year, and the company reaffirmed FY2026 guidance of $12.52 to $12.72 EPS.
• Analysts remain cautious overall despite some bullish ratings changes, with the stock carrying an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $184.86. Shares opened at $147.76, below the 52-week high of $187.35, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share.

Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 27.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,126,471 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 240,673 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 2.3% of Cooke & Bieler LP's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Cooke & Bieler LP owned about 0.40% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $218,614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $167.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $147.76 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The stock has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a PE ratio of 37.41, a PEG ratio of 10.45 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $152.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.33%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.