Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Acquired by Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by an impressive 17,014.2%, now holding 63,836 shares worth approximately $14.62 million.
• Multiple institutional investors boosted their holdings, with GQG Partners LLC investing around $689.83 million and Vanguard Group increasing its stake to $6.41 billion.
• Becton, Dickinson recently reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, while setting a FY 2025 guidance of $14.300 - $14.450 EPS.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17,014.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 63,836 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 63,463 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.3% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $989,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. 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. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $4.9620 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $194.6980. 1,227,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,641,682. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $55.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.20. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $180.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.03. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 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.