Generation Investment Management LLP Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Generation Investment Management LLP has reduced its stock holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9%, now owning about 5.3 million shares worth approximately $1.21 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 2.2%.
• Becton, Dickinson reported earnings of $3.68 per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding estimates of $3.40, with revenues of $5.51 billion.

Generation Investment Management LLP reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,296,447 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 518,933 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 7.3% of Generation Investment Management LLP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Generation Investment Management LLP owned about 1.85% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,213,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,317,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 273.6% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,724 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,114,000 after purchasing an additional 10,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,470,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm'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 trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $192.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,244,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,050,719. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.08. The company has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.27.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. 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 payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $211.44.

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.