Aberdeen Group plc Purchases 120,946 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.1%, now owning approximately 388,989 shares valued at $88.5 million.
• Several analysts have downgraded their ratings on BDX, with Bank of America shifting from a "buy" to a "neutral" rating and Citigroup lowering its price target from $217.00 to $185.00.
• Becton, Dickinson has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, payable on September 30th, with a current dividend yield of 2.1%.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 45.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 388,989 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 120,946 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $88,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,012,649,000 after purchasing an additional 312,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.83 on Thursday, hitting $198.37. 439,199 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,651,285. The company has a market cap of $56.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $179.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.25.

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 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 net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous 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. Equities analysts anticipate 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 declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

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.