Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Cut by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. sold 9,843 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company, reducing its holdings by 2.7%, and now owns approximately 360,737 shares valued at $82.6 million.
• Becton, Dickinson reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $3.68, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 10.4% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, with an annualized yield of 2.1%, as part of its strategic financial management.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 360,737 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,843 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.13% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $82,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised 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 acquiring an additional 667,957 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 acquiring an additional 312,124 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $195.88. 2,616,848 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,862,269. The company has a market capitalization of $56.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $178.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.94.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of 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. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.