Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 951,456 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,699 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.0% of Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.33% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $184,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the third 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 last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted 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 during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $150,051,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% in the third quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,068,000 after buying an additional 852,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $157.22 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The stock has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $181.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the company’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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881 in the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.62.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.