Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stock Position Increased by Veritas Asset Management LLP

Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 40.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 5.9% of Veritas Asset Management LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Veritas Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $553,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.7% during the second quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:BDX opened at $203.56 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $162.29 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $58.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $198.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $5.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,680 shares of company stock worth $539,848. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.