Hancock Whitney Corp Sells 234 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Hancock Whitney Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,451 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 234 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,967,000. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 397.6% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 96,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,439,000 after buying an additional 77,150 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 525,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $118,807,000 after buying an additional 117,735 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.8% in the first quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,311 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $137,436,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $192.18 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.27. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $185.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.