Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 24,964 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3%, owning approximately 1,935,029 shares worth $443.2 million by the end of the reporting period.
• In the first quarter, other institutional investors also bolstered their holdings, with Vanguard Group Inc. raising its stake by 4.7% and T. Rowe Price Investment Management increasing theirs by 36.1%.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported a 10.4% year-over-year revenue increase, with earnings of $3.68 per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,935,029 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 24,964 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.68% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $443,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $689,833,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $211,097,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.83 during trading on Thursday, reaching $198.37. 439,199 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,651,285. The company has a market capitalization of $56.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. William Blair cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% 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 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.