Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 44,637 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 453 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Norden Group LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. AMI Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. AMI Asset Management Corp now owns 234,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,033,000 after purchasing an additional 19,313 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 13,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,274,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 275.3% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 728 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $180,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $237.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $68.64 billion, a PE ratio of 52.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $237.58 and a 200 day moving average of $235.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $259.92.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on 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. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.