Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 37,902 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 36.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 141,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring 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 reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 9,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,791,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE BDX opened at $159.37 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The company has a market capitalization of $45.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $190.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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 the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.