AMI Asset Management Corp Lowers Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

AMI Asset Management Corp lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 270,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,545 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 3.0% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned about 0.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $52,474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after buying an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after buying an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the third quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,068,000 after buying an additional 852,854 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $152,931,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,712,715,000 after buying an additional 636,138 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. TD Cowen raised their price objective 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. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $155.36 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $127.59 and a one year high of $187.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $170.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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 authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis 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 68.52%.

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.