Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Toth Financial Advisory Corp

Key Points

• Toth Financial Advisory Corp reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.8%, selling 3,275 shares for a total holding of 24,372 shares valued at approximately $4.2 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with the average target price set at $213.30, showing a range of recommendations from "Buy" to "Hold".
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported earnings of $3.68 per share, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share with a yield of 2.2%.

Toth Financial Advisory Corp cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 11.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,372 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,275 shares during the period. Toth Financial Advisory Corp's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $18,808,000 after purchasing an additional 27,581 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,458,000. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $6,406,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after buying an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock worth $551,536. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $187.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,750,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,393. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $53.68 billion, a PE ratio of 33.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $187.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on 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. Argus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.30.

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.