Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 244,616 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2,758.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 253,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 244,616 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $38,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14,668.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 69,907,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,579,171,000 after buying an additional 69,434,598 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 40,711,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $790,079,000 after acquiring an additional 40,528,680 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,721,533,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23,219.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,155,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,397,000 after purchasing an additional 4,137,888 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares in the company, valued at $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Garrison sold 1,100 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total transaction of $160,226.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,918,633.52. This represents a 7.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,005 shares of company stock valued at $1,423,580. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $179.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.02, a PEG ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $193.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.61.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.68 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 126.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Evercore set a $180.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $187.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, diagnostic products and laboratory equipment. Its offerings support healthcare providers, researchers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and patients across areas such as medication delivery, infection prevention, specimen collection, surgery and disease diagnosis.

BD’s products include needles, syringes, catheters, infusion and medication-management systems, injection devices, blood-collection products, diagnostic testing platforms, laboratory automation equipment and flow cytometry systems.