Bank of Montreal Can Sells 17,183 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 394,954 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 17,183 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $73,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 9,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,791,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.4%

BDX opened at $163.22 on Thursday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $191.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.50. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $127.59 and a one year high of $187.35. The stock has a market cap of $46.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.63, a P/E/G ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Zacks Research lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.