Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,777 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,660 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $28,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,455,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,074,750,000 after acquiring an additional 147,041 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,712,715,000 after purchasing an additional 636,138 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $653,377,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $160.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.13, a PEG ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $189.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $189.75. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.46.

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.