Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,029,622 shares, a growth of 25.4% from the December 15th total of 4,809,734 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,886,610 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,886,610 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were 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 directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,662 shares of company stock valued at $535,246. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,492 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $635,000. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 559.3% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 34,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,643,000 after buying an additional 29,038 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $207.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $207.16. 1,590,430 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,251,515. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $196.39 and its 200-day moving average is $189.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.02 billion, a PE ratio of 35.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

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.