ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 81,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,873 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $211,097,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $155,080,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,567,654,000 after buying an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $190.90 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $188.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $54.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 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 Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.