North Dakota State Investment Board Invests $1.90 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Becton, Dickinson, buying 9,809 shares worth about $1.9 million in the fourth quarter.
• BDX reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.90 versus estimates of $2.77 and revenue of $4.71 billion, up 5.2% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share and a stock repurchase program, while analysts currently have a Hold consensus rating with a $184.86 price target.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,809 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,904,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,118,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,223,149 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,872,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,596,496,000 after acquiring an additional 459,219 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 11,646,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,260,139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,592 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,486,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,841,083,000 after acquiring an additional 336,110 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $979,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $142.36 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $154.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.98. The firm has a market cap of $39.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.04, a PEG ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.35 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. The trade was 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. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Weiss Ratings cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 report on Friday, May 8th. Argus lowered their price target on 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.86.

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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