Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 3,884 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,884 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $754,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in 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. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the period. United Bank raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.9% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 5,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 5,875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 2,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,003,000 after buying an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $154.52 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.60.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $191.62.

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.