Running Oak Capital LLC Cuts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Running Oak Capital LLC cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.9% in Q4, selling 24,007 shares and ending the period with 61,956 shares worth about $12.02 million.
• Several analysts have trimmed ratings and price targets — including a Zacks downgrade to "strong sell" — leaving a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $189.69.
• BDX reported Q results with EPS of $2.91 (beating estimates) but revenue of $4.49B missed expectations; it set FY2026 EPS guidance of 12.350–12.650 and pays a $1.05 quarterly dividend (≈2.7% yield).

Running Oak Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 27.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 24,007 shares during the period. Running Oak Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Zacks Research cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. 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 report on Monday, March 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $154.07 on Monday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $170.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 2,713 shares of company stock worth $536,881 in the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.