QRG Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 23.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,108 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,164 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,880,510,000 after buying an additional 448,644 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after buying an additional 667,957 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,012,649,000 after buying an additional 312,124 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,091,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $707,872,000 after purchasing an additional 37,733 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Argus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $211.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $193.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.87, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.88.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

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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