Foster & Motley Inc. Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,191 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. RWA Wealth Partners LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 9,054 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 383,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $93,524,000 after buying an additional 3,287 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $715,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $234.46 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $239.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.99. 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 has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.42, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James raised their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.