Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 244,199 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,153,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,254 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the first quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $192.03 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.54, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $186.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.95.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.