Ninety One North America Inc. Sells 777 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Ninety One North America Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 777 shares during the quarter. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $739,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $18,808,000 after purchasing an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $3,458,000. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $6,406,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $744,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.7%

BDX stock opened at $187.06 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.62 billion, a PE ratio of 33.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $188.55 and its 200 day moving average is $188.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of 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. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

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.