New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 23,542 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 513,723 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 23,542 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $125,261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 123.6% during the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,994,000 after acquiring an additional 9,054 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 383,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $93,524,000 after purchasing an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $715,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 85,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,951,000 after buying an additional 2,118 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $234.38. 229,596 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,381,710. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $239.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.71 billion, a PE ratio of 55.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.40 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now 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 available through the SEC website. Company 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.