Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Purchases 6,530 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. has increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.7%, now owning a total of 45,560 shares valued at approximately $10.4 million.
• Several institutional investors, including the Saudi Central Bank, have also recently purchased shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company, indicating growing interest among large investors.
• Analyst ratings for Becton, Dickinson and Company have been mixed, with Citigroup lowering its rating while Wall Street Zen upgraded it from "hold" to "buy," reflecting varied perspectives on the stock's performance.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 16.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 6,530 shares during the quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,880,510,000 after purchasing an additional 448,644 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,012,649,000 after acquiring an additional 312,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,091,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $707,872,000 after acquiring an additional 37,733 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

BDX traded up $0.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $192.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,244,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,915,159. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $185.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.60. The company has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction 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 $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of 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. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.