Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 315,037 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 73.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 315,037 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $21,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. CX Institutional boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sachetta LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 748 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of BDX opened at $165.34 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $192.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.24. 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 issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, 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 has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Five equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.