Cullen Investment Group LTD. Makes New $3.70 Million Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 18,249 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $3,700,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during 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 period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $191.62.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,787 shares of company stock worth $551,391 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $158.23 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a P/E/G ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board 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.