Avity Investment Management Inc. Acquires 7,107 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,178 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,107 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 2.1% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $29,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $653,377,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16,974.4% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,579,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $272,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570,136 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,870,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,218 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $161.64 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $188.36 and its 200 day moving average is $189.53. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,787 shares of company stock valued at $551,391. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.