Essex Savings Bank Acquires New Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Essex Savings Bank has acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company, purchasing 1,719 shares valued at approximately $296,000.
• A variety of hedge funds have adjusted their stakes in Becton, Dickinson, with total institutional ownership now at 86.97% of the company's stock.
• Becton, Dickinson recently reported better-than-expected earnings of $3.68 EPS for the quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, and has set its FY 2025 earnings guidance between 14.300-14.450 EPS.

Essex Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $296,000.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $213.30.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $0.30 during trading on Monday, reaching $186.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,227,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,539,549. 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 market capitalization of $53.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $187.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) 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 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 issued 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 is 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.