Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Sells 522,870 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management cut its Becton, Dickinson and Company stake by 49% in the fourth quarter, selling 522,870 shares and ending with 543,136 shares valued at about $105.4 million.
• BDX shares fell 1.2% to $145.35, while the company’s latest earnings beat expectations with EPS of $2.90 versus $2.77 expected and revenue of $4.71 billion, up 5.2% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share, payable June 30, which annualizes to $4.20 and a 2.9% yield; analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with a $183.64 target price.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 49.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 543,136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 522,870 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.19% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $105,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $979,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the fourth 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 during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23,219.2% in the fourth 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 during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $734,321,000. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $145.35 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $151.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.68. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The firm has a market cap of $40.05 billion, a PE ratio of 36.80, a P/E/G ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. 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 currently 106.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.64.

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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