Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 4.14 million shares and bringing its total holdings to 4.16 million shares worth about $769.4 million.
• BDX posted solid quarterly results, with EPS of $2.90 beating estimates and revenue of $4.71 billion topping expectations; the company also raised its FY2026 EPS guidance to $12.52-$12.72.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: several firms adjusted price targets, and the stock currently carries a consensus “Hold” rating with a consensus target price of $184.86.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 23,219.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,155,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 4,137,888 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 1.46% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $769,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 71.4% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,471,000 after buying an additional 34,437 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% in the third quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,084,000 after buying an additional 2,715 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $650,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 49.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 225,967 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $42,294,000 after buying an additional 74,795 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909 in the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Argus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $184.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $143.32 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $187.35. The stock has a market cap of $39.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.28, a PEG ratio of 10.23 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $154.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.35 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.33%.

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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