B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 78.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,753 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,035 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.9% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 5,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 13,836 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,383,000 after acquiring an additional 890 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.5% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 21,940 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,779,000 after acquiring an additional 5,004 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1%

BDX stock opened at $165.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $187.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $192.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.94.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. The company’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. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

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

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.