Diversified Trust Co Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,262 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $31,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $185.92 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $188.15 and a 200-day moving average of $189.56. The firm has a market cap of $53.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.27. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,965 shares of company stock valued at $551,536 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Argus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $213.30.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.