Confluence Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Confluence Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 80,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 9,757 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,798 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,331,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.6% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 12,031 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,821,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,036,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $156,784,000 after buying an additional 11,768 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,629,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,000,064 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,269,960,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177,256 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $178.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 325,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,514,184. The company has a market capitalization of $49.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.85, a P/E/G ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $193.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $179.78 and a 200-day moving average of $161.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%.Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.68 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 126.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $768,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,380,155. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,717,022.80. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock worth $1,265,855. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $187.67.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells devices, diagnostic products and solutions for healthcare providers, researchers and patients. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the company serves customers in hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies and other healthcare settings worldwide.

BD’s Medical segment offers products used for medication delivery and management, including needles, syringes, infusion systems, medication preparation and dispensing technologies, and systems designed to help improve medication safety.