Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX is Sector Gamma AS's 3rd Largest Position

Key Points

• Sector Gamma AS increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.9%, now owning 82,000 shares valued at approximately $18.78 million.
• Institutional investors hold 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, with several hedge funds increasing their stakes in the first quarter of the year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.1%.

Sector Gamma AS grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 82,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 6.0% of Sector Gamma AS's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Sector Gamma AS's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE BDX traded up $2.8470 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $197.8470. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,871,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,460. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.58, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $178.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.21. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a 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 Activity

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company'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 value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.