Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Acquires 48,873 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Levin Capital Strategies L.P. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson & Company by 130% in Q4, buying 48,873 shares to hold 86,481 shares worth about $16.78 million (≈1.4% of its portfolio).
• Analysts have trimmed price targets recently and the stock carries a consensus rating of 'Hold' with a $189.08 target, after multiple firms (Jefferies, Wells Fargo, Citi, JPMorgan) cut targets while six analysts rate Buy and eleven rate Hold.
• BDX beat EPS expectations ($2.91 vs. $2.81) but missed revenue, set FY2026 guidance of $12.35–$12.65 EPS, declared a $1.05 quarterly dividend (2.9% yield, ex-dividend June 9), and authorized a $10 million share buyback.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 130.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 86,481 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 48,873 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.4% of Levin Capital Strategies L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $7,118,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,223,149 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,870,653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the third quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $152,931,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $189.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $145.27 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $161.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The company has a market cap of $41.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70, a PEG ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.56 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program 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 programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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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