Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 74.9% in the fourth quarter, lifting its holdings to 16,356 shares valued at about $3.17 million.
• BDX stock was down 4.2% and recently traded at $143.11, well below its 52-week high of $187.35. The company has a market cap of $39.43 billion and a low beta of 0.22.
• Becton, Dickinson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.90 per share on revenue of $4.71 billion, and it also announced a $1.05 quarterly dividend plus a share repurchase program. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $184.86 price target.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 74.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 7,002 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $7,118,282,000 after acquiring an additional 4,223,149 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,872,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,596,496,000 after acquiring an additional 459,219 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,870,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,486,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,841,083,000 after acquiring an additional 336,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $979,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 4.2%

BDX stock opened at $143.11 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $187.35. The business's 50-day moving average is $157.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $39.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.23, a P/E/G ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 0.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.35 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.33%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Evercore upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% 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. Insiders sold a total of 1,102 shares of company stock valued at $198,909 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD's products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company's operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD's product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.

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