Private Advisor Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Private Advisor Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 452 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blossom Wealth Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 1,516 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the third quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $4,997,000. Eastern Bank grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,746.9% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 18,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,431,000 after acquiring an additional 17,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

BDX stock opened at $238.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.82 billion, a PE ratio of 52.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $259.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $237.46 and a 200 day moving average of $235.15.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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