Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42%, owning 33,679 shares valued at approximately $7.72 million as of the most recent SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors, including Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC and Alpine Bank Wealth Management, made new purchases of Becton, Dickinson stock during the first quarter.
• Becton, Dickinson recently reported earnings of $3.68 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share set to be paid on September 30th.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 42.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,679 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 9,960 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $18,808,000 after purchasing an additional 27,581 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $224,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.8730 during trading on Friday, hitting $199.5030. The company had a trading volume of 1,619,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,720,196. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock's 50-day moving average is $180.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.88, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's 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 owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.