Brandes Investment Partners LP Grows Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,229,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,104 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 1.8% of Brandes Investment Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Brandes Investment Partners LP owned 0.43% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $238,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crux Wealth Advisors raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors now owns 6,297 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $688,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,108 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 2,913 shares of company stock valued at $426,806 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $152.05 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $150.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $127.59 and a 1-year high of $187.35. The company has a market cap of $41.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49, a P/E/G ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 0.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Argus decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.64.

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.