Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 136,858 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 80.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 307,541 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 136,858 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $57,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,455,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,074,750,000 after purchasing an additional 147,041 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,870,653,000 after buying an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,712,715,000 after buying an additional 636,138 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,153,157,000 after acquiring an additional 244,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $674,693. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE BDX opened at $165.34 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $192.67 and a 200-day moving average of $190.94. The company has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program 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 repurchase up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.46.

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.