Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC sold 6,188 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX), reducing their holdings by 18.9% to 26,589 shares, valued at approximately $6.09 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, indicating strong institutional interest.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04, yielding 2.2%, with a pay date set for September 30th to shareholders of record on September 8th.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 18.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 6,188 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $2.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $185.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,474,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,604,137. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $183.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.57. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $53.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The company's 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. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

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.