Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.3% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.7% in the third quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,595 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $482,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $234.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 225,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,381,535. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Insider Activity

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