Federated Hermes Inc. Has $19.98 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 420.2%, amassing a total of 87,223 shares worth approximately $19.98 million.
• Institutional investors own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company, indicating strong support from hedge funds and large investment firms.
• Recent research analyst ratings show a trend towards downgrades, with most analysts giving the stock a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 420.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 87,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 70,456 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $19,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29,654.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 744,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $170,523,000 after purchasing an additional 741,943 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $99,627,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $178.39 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $201.28. The company has a market capitalization of $51.13 billion, a PE ratio of 34.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is 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.

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