Ethic Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Ethic Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,682 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,026,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,880,510,000 after acquiring an additional 448,644 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after acquiring an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,012,649,000 after acquiring an additional 312,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,365,509 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $577,420,000 after acquiring an additional 12,602 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 1,838 shares of company stock worth $348,392 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $185.85 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $189.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.97. The stock has a market cap of $53.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.40.

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.