Great Lakes Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8%, now owning 231,327 shares worth approximately $52.5 million.
• Wall Street analysts project an average price target of $211.44 for Becton, Dickinson, with ratings ranging from "buy" to "hold."
• The company recently reported a quarterly EPS of $3.68, surpassing analyst estimates and reflecting a year-over-year revenue increase of 10.4%.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 231,327 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 6,256 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $52,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley increased 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 report on Monday, August 11th. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% 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 Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.18 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $185.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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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