Optas LLC Has $368,000 Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Optas LLC lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,138 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $189.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.61. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Argus boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.