Groupama Asset Managment Sells 5,332 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Groupama Asset Managment lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 49.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,332 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,232,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings 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 holdings 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. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $744,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $224,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $211.44.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BDX opened at $199.2480 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.25. The company has a market capitalization of $57.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.20. 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 has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The business 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.82%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.