Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 141,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,902 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $26,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.3%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $159.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $190.28. The stock has a market cap of $45.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a P/E/G ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. 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%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on BDX. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.46.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock valued at $674,693. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.