Park Avenue Securities LLC Purchases Shares of 4,392 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company, purchasing 4,392 shares valued at approximately $757,000 during the second quarter.
• Several analysts have adjusted their price targets for Becton, Dickinson and Company, with Barclays decreasing it to $241.00 while Argus raised it to $230.00.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04, representing an annual yield of 2.3%, to be paid on September 30th.

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $757,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,444 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,529 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $12,371,000 after purchasing an additional 9,892 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 39.1% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 815 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.0% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 4,298 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.09.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of BDX opened at $184.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.91 billion, a PE ratio of 33.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.27. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $188.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.72.

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 firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,965 shares of company stock worth $551,536 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.

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