Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by SageView Advisory Group LLC

Key Points

• SageView Advisory Group LLC has reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.3%, owning 880 shares worth approximately $202,000.
• UBS Asset Management and Woodline Partners were among several firms that increased their stakes in the company, with UBS lifting its position by 3.3% and Woodline by 55.0% in the first quarter.
• Analysts have provided mixed ratings on the stock, with four analysts rating it as Buy and seven as Hold, while the consensus target price is currently set at $211.44.

SageView Advisory Group LLC lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 61.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 880 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,393 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $202,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,804,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $413,383,000 after purchasing an additional 57,780 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.0% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 215,736 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $49,416,000 after purchasing an additional 76,527 shares during the period. American Trust lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the first quarter. American Trust now owns 1,156 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the first quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,122 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $187.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $186.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $191.73. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $53.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. The company's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid 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 (DPR) is 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536. 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.

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