Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 26,671 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 627,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 26,671 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $122,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in 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 worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,118,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,223,149 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares in the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $152,931,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,102 shares of company stock valued at $198,909. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6%

BDX opened at $144.99 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.08 and a 200 day moving average of $181.33. The company has a market cap of $41.28 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.49 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.52 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price 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. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.57.

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.