Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Purchases 7,747 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Farmers & Merchants Investments increased its Becton, Dickinson and Company stake by 42.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 7,747 shares and bringing its holdings to 26,092 shares valued at approximately $4.67 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.97% of BDX.
• BDX reported quarterly revenue of $4.98 billion and adjusted earnings of $3.23 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 5.4% year over year. The stock opened at $198.96, near its 52-week high of $200.47.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.05, equivalent to a 2.1% annual yield, while insiders sold 6,906 shares worth about $1.27 million over the past three months. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $185.07.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 42.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.1% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 96,211 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,715,000 after buying an additional 14,077 shares in the last quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.3% in the second quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 61,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $9,280,000 after buying an additional 9,494 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 44,032 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,923,000 after acquiring an additional 11,414 shares during the period. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,353,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $2,567,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $768,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,380,155. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock valued at $1,265,855. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $198.96 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $54.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 0.21. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $200.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.68 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 126.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $185.07.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of products used by healthcare providers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and patients. Its offerings support medication delivery, diagnostics, infection prevention, surgical care and other clinical procedures.

BD's products include needles, syringes, injection devices, intravenous administration systems, medication-management technologies, specimen-collection products, diagnostic systems and laboratory instruments.

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