Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Key Points

• Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 78.2%, now holding 746,259 shares worth approximately $170.94 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Becton, Dickinson and Company, with a consensus hold rating and an average price target of $211.44, reflecting varying outlooks on the stock's performance.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, which translates to an annualized yield of 2.1%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 78.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 746,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,670,406 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 0.9% of Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned 0.26% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $170,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,012,649,000 after purchasing an additional 312,124 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,091,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $707,872,000 after acquiring an additional 37,733 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $197.37. 623,935 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,658,202. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.21. The stock has a market cap of $56.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.50, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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. On average, research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value 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 represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

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.