Avity Investment Management Inc. Acquires 11,186 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 169,364 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,186 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 2.3% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $32,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $979,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174,944 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $150,051,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’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 transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 stock was 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 represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.8%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $154.52 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.24.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue 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. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Argus decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.62.

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.