Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Invests $152.93 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 817,069 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $152,931,000. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 0.5% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.5% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.8%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $203.31 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $57.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.23. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $196.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.81 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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 note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $207.64.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,662 shares of company stock worth $535,246. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.