Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Has $2.09 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,282 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Private Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Management now owns 1,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased 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 research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $231.55. The company had a trading volume of 738,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,366,929. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $239.24 and a 200-day moving average of $241.42. The firm has a market cap of $66.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.87, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS 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.