Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Sells 1,939 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. sold 1,939 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), reducing its stake by 3.5%, leaving it with 53,670 shares valued at $12.29 million.
• Institutional investors own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, with notable increases in holdings from several funds such as Aberdeen Group plc, which increased its stake by 45.1%.
• Analysts have recently downgraded Becton, Dickinson's stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44, reflecting various price targets set by firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,939 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.1% of Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,808,000 after buying an additional 27,581 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of BDX traded down $0.8480 on Thursday, reaching $198.3520. The company's stock had a trading volume of 522,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,651,874. 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 has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.85 billion, a PE ratio of 35.67, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $179.66 and a 200-day moving average of $196.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut 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 report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.