Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $59.12 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 315,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,647 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $59,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $226,000. Northcape Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.6% during the third quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,466,000 after acquiring an additional 3,088 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 6,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,218,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 18,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,515,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upped 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 report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,680 shares of company stock valued at $539,848 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.2%

BDX stock opened at $206.40 on Wednesday. The stock 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. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.76. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $246.75.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.81 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.