Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 601,229 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 30,602 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.21% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $112,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $344,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 71.4% during 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 stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% during the third quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after buying an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $650,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $176.49 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $196.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $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 capitalization of $50.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.79, a PEG ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America upped 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 research note on Monday, January 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $675,557. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.