Russell Investments Group Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 500,864 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,454 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $122,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Private Wealth Management raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% in the third quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Management now owns 1,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during 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 stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $231.55. The company had a trading volume of 738,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,001,849. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $239.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $241.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The firm has a market cap of $66.90 billion, a PE ratio of 54.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly 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 is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.