Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Short Interest Update

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 11,469,470 shares, a decline of 16.8% from the February 26th total of 13,780,778 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,685,695 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.5%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $2.33 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $157.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,949,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,507,076. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a P/E/G ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $178.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.14. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were 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 represents 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 available through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,713 shares of company stock worth $536,881. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 40,711,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $790,079,000 after buying an additional 40,528,680 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $979,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,118,282,000 after acquiring an additional 4,223,149 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23,219.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,155,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,397,000 after purchasing an additional 4,137,888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $653,377,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.