Northern Trust Corp Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2%, owning approximately 2.81 million shares worth $643,942,000 after acquiring an additional 86,885 shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC, have made significant increases to their positions in Becton, Dickinson and Company, reflecting strong institutional interest with 86.97% of the company's stock owned by institutions.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported $3.68 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, with a revenue increase of 10.4% year-over-year, indicating robust financial performance.

Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,811,239 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 86,885 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.98% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $643,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $2.8730 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $199.5030. The company had a trading volume of 1,619,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,720,196. The company's 50 day moving average price is $180.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $57.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders have sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.