Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $794.20 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,092,337 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 314,650 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 1.44% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $794,200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crux Wealth Advisors grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors now owns 6,297 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,222,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,108 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 2,913 shares of company stock valued at $426,806 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of BDX opened at $151.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $41.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.31, a P/E/G ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $150.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $175.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.35 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 106.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Argus cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.64.

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.