Bank of Nova Scotia Lowers Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Bank of Nova Scotia decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 34.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 110,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 58,079 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in 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. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $334,010.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,416 shares of company stock valued at $674,693 in the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:BDX opened at $160.19 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $189.23 and its 200 day moving average is $189.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program 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 programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

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.