Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD sold 1,032,608 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX), reducing its holdings by 8.4% to 11,314,136 shares, which is valued at approximately $2.59 billion.
• Other institutional investors have adjusted their positions, with T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increasing its stake by 36.1% and now owning over $2.75 billion worth of shares.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.1%, with the dividend payout ratio currently at 74.82%.

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,314,136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,032,608 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned approximately 3.95% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $2,591,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $61,406,000 after purchasing an additional 13,260 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 657,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $149,089,000 after purchasing an additional 12,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 935 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $2.8730 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $199.5030. The stock had a trading volume of 1,619,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,720,196. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.88, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company's 50-day moving average is $180.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.26.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.