Ancora Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Ancora Advisors LLC has reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 21.7%, now owning 5,936 shares valued at approximately $1.36 million.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" for Becton, Dickinson with an average price target of $211.44, despite varied price targets from different firms following recent research updates.
• Becton, Dickinson reported $3.68 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, surpassing expectations and indicating a revenue growth of 10.4% year-over-year.

Ancora Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 21.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,936 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,643 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded down $2.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $188.43. The stock had a trading volume of 455,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,032. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $185.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $54.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.89, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the director directly owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was 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 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.