Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $1.95 Million Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group disclosed a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company, buying 10,028 shares worth about $1.95 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional interest in BDX remains high, with 86.97% of the stock owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, while several smaller funds also increased their stakes.
• Becton, Dickinson recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.90 EPS on $4.71 billion in revenue, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share payable June 30.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,946,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 64.2% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Argus reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Evercore boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3%

BDX opened at $147.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.31, a P/E/G ratio of 10.46 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.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Becton, Dickinson and 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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