Hantz Financial Services Inc. Lowers Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Hantz Financial Services reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,304 shares and leaving it with 60,519 shares worth about $11.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 86.97% of BDX shares. Several large firms, including Vanguard and Wellington Management, also increased their positions.
• BDX reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.90 versus estimates of $2.77 and revenue of $4.71 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share and a 2.8% yield.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 7,304 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,745,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $979,290,000 after buying an additional 5,174,944 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,118,282,000 after buying an additional 4,223,149 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23,219.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,155,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $769,397,000 after buying an additional 4,137,888 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 11,646,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,260,139,000 after buying an additional 1,651,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $553,068,000 after buying an additional 852,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $147.76 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a PE ratio of 37.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.45 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $187.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $152.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.67 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The company's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.35 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.33%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD's products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company's operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD's product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.

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