Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 34,642 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC invested approximately $7.94 million in Becton, Dickinson and Company, purchasing 34,642 shares during the 1st quarter.
• Several major investors, including GQG Partners LLC and Vanguard Group Inc., have also increased their stakes in Becton, Dickinson, indicating strong institutional interest with 86.97% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Becton, Dickinson recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $4.16 and a yield of 2.2%.

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 34,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $7,935,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value 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 trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,965 shares of company stock worth $551,536. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research 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 research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on 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. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $3.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $187.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,118,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,747,428. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's 50 day moving average is $186.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.73. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $53.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 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.