Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,029,622 shares, a growth of 25.4% from the December 15th total of 4,809,734 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,886,610 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,886,610 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $1.19 during trading on Monday, hitting $207.16. 1,590,430 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,251,515. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $189.70. The company has a market capitalization of $59.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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 return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The company had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $207.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,662 shares of company stock valued at $535,246. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,466,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670,590 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.