Pacific Capital Partners Ltd Buys 8,250 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Pacific Capital Partners Ltd grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,250 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 7.7% of Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 5,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $887,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,003,000 after buying an additional 1,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $965,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.62.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the business’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 value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock worth $536,881 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $154.45 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $187.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $179.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $43.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.20, a P/E/G ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 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 business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given 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 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.52%.

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

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.