Argent Trust Co Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Argent Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 35.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,913 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $176.04 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $195.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.06. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value 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. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,491 shares of company stock worth $689,195. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

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.