PDS Planning Inc Lowers Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

PDS Planning Inc lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 131 shares during the quarter. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $372,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. RWA Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 123.6% in the fourth quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,994,000 after purchasing an additional 9,054 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 383,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $93,524,000 after buying an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $715,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 85,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,951,000 after acquiring an additional 2,118 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on BDX. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $234.30. 225,922 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,381,535. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $239.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.99. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.98 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.