Rathbones Group PLC Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Rathbones Group PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 10,041 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 77.8% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $146.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, a PEG ratio of 10.40 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.35 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.33%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.86.

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.