Aberdeen Group plc Sells 4,632 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 511,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,632 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.18% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $99,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in 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. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Legacy Solutions LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Solutions LLC now owns 1,172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional boosted its holdings 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 valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. TD Cowen upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research 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 report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $191.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of BDX opened at $154.52 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $175.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.52%.

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.