Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Lessened by Dover Advisors LLC

Dover Advisors LLC cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,256 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 446 shares during the period. Dover Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays raised 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. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

BDX stock traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $231.55. The company had a trading volume of 738,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,001,849. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $66.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.87, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $239.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.10.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.