Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,127 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 157 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after acquiring an additional 512,566 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,034,523 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,043,045,000 after acquiring an additional 395,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $938,593,000 after acquiring an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $231.55. 738,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,001,849. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.87, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $239.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $241.42.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays boosted their price target 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 boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.