Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 30,532 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 665,496 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 30,532 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $129,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Coerente Capital Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Coerente Capital Management now owns 4,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $802,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,486,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,841,083,000 after purchasing an additional 336,110 shares in the last quarter. Nautilus Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Nautilus Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,911 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $155.36 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $170.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.18. The company has a market cap of $44.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,713 shares of company stock worth $536,881. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.69.

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.