Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 24.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,015 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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 raised their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Argus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $186.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.19. The stock has a market cap of $53.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 1,838 shares of company stock worth $348,392 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.