Woodward Diversified Capital LLC Purchases 1,562 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Woodward Diversified Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 124.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,819 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the period. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,248,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.9% in the first quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $190.90 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $54.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.33, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $188.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.20.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.