Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Bank of Stockton

Bank of Stockton trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,672 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 303 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after buying an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,481,000 after buying an additional 5,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after buying an additional 2,565 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $239.11. 253,471 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,376,425. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $237.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $259.92. The firm has a market cap of $69.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.51, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.