Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Cannell & Spears LLC

Cannell & Spears LLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 49.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 21,830 shares during the quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $653,377,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16,974.4% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,579,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $272,049,000 after buying an additional 1,570,136 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after buying an additional 1,208,218 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2%

BDX stock opened at $159.32 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $190.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $189.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.99, a P/E/G ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.43 EPS. The company’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 analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually 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 a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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 research 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, 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 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.