Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,947 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 452 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of 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 lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $238.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $259.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.82 billion, a PE ratio of 52.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $237.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.15.

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

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.