Citigroup Inc. Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 359,575 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,562 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.13% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $67,302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell 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 $195.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $675,557. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE BDX opened at $184.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $197.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.46. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $127.59 and a one year high of $186.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.