First Trust Advisors LP Buys 21,575 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 296,644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,575 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $55,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,471,000 after buying an additional 34,437 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% during the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $650,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the third quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,068,000 after acquiring an additional 852,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of BDX stock opened at $163.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $187.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $192.03 and its 200 day moving average is $190.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.