Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,253,599 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 162,854 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 0.3% of American Century Companies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $608,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $176.04 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $195.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program 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 programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.46.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents 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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were 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 $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,491 shares of company stock valued at $689,195. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.