First Interstate Bank Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First Interstate Bank lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the quarter. First Interstate Bank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $45,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% in the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,278,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,371,782. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $237.56 and its 200-day moving average is $235.05. The company has a market capitalization of $67.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $259.92.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.