Vista Investment Partners LLC Acquires 3,500 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Vista Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 104.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,865 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 65.7% during the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 26,897 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,815,000 after purchasing an additional 10,661 shares in the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.3% during the third quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 4,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the third quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 25,309 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,530,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Finally, Nautilus Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nautilus Advisors LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.1%

BDX stock traded up $2.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $182.23. 592,744 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,495,840. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $181.64 and its 200-day moving average is $162.18. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $127.59 and a 52-week high of $193.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $50.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.89, a P/E/G ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.21.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.68 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 126.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $768,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,380,155. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,906 shares of company stock valued at $1,265,855. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.07.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells devices, diagnostic products and solutions for healthcare providers, researchers and patients. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the company serves customers in hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies and other healthcare settings worldwide.

BD’s Medical segment offers products used for medication delivery and management, including needles, syringes, infusion systems, medication preparation and dispensing technologies, and systems designed to help improve medication safety.