Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,927 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,624 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.7% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 5,006 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 206.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 46,328 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,464,000 after buying an additional 31,215 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.28 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $239.19. 110,385 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,371,987. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.64, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $259.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $237.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.03.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.