Rathbones Group PLC Decreases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Rathbones Group PLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,797 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 16,090 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its position 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 worth $324,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during 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. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 9,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,791,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $167.31 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $47.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $193.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.16. 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 has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given 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 payout ratio is 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693 in the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.