Signaturefd LLC Cuts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Signaturefd LLC lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,428 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 354 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $592,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.36 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $239.72 and its 200 day moving average is $241.79. The stock has a market cap of $67.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.