Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Buys 10,355 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.4%, owning 101,333 shares worth approximately $17.46 million after purchasing an additional 10,355 shares.
• Brokerage ratings for Becton, Dickinson and Company vary, with Piper Sandler maintaining a "neutral" rating and multiple firms adjusting price targets, resulting in an average price target of $211.44.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend of $4.16 and a yield of 2.2%.

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 11.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 10,355 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.1% of Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $17,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.30.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $188.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,123,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,893. The company has a market cap of $54.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.89, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.65. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.