ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Sells 3,787 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Key Points

• ST Germain D J Co. Inc. reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.0%, selling 3,787 shares and holding 27,852 shares valued at $4.8 million at the end of the last quarter.
• Several hedge funds, including Saudi Central Bank and Alpine Bank Wealth Management, have recently acquired new positions in Becton, Dickinson, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $3.68, surpassing estimates, and plans to pay a $1.04 quarterly dividend on September 30th.

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,852 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,787 shares during the quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $213.09.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.8%

BDX opened at $180.86 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company's 50-day moving average price is $188.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.25. The stock has a market cap of $51.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. The firm'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 analysts expect 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 disclosed 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 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,965 shares of company stock worth $551,536 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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