United Asset Strategies Inc. Acquires 13,544 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 452.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,544 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $199.2480 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $57.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $179.66 and a 200 day moving average of $196.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend 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 is 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.44.

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.