Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 3,332 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,332 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the second quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the second quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,254 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $206.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $58.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $246.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $198.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.76.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The company had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.81 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,680 shares of company stock valued at $539,848. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.