Quarry LP Purchases 1,347 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Quarry LP significantly increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3,132.6% during the 1st quarter, bringing their total shares to 1,390, valued at $318,000.
• Wall Street analysts have given mixed reviews on BDX, with Citigroup downgrading the stock from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" while other firms like Piper Sandler and Morgan Stanley have set recent price targets between $184.00 and $197.00.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for September 8th, representing an annual yield of 2.2%.

Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3,132.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,390 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,347 shares during the period. Quarry LP's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the first quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $826,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.9% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 103,729 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $23,760,000 after buying an additional 14,266 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.2% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 232,007 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $53,144,000 after buying an additional 17,589 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 185.8% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 11,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,539,000 after buying an additional 7,204 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $189.33. 3,346,079 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,320,201. The company has a market cap of $54.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. 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 has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $184.22 and a 200 day moving average of $193.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.