Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 315,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,647 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $59,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $226,000. Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.6% in the third quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,466,000 after acquiring an additional 3,088 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 6,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,218,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% during the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 18,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,515,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $233.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.36.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the business’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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,680 shares of company stock valued at $539,848. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $206.40 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $246.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $58.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $198.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.76.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.