Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.

Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C. decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,308 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 866 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 0.9% of Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. SlateStone Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 14,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,496,000 after buying an additional 1,375 shares in the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 26,396 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,436,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 123.6% in the fourth quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,994,000 after buying an additional 9,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 383,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $93,524,000 after buying an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on 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 investment 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $234.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 800,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,384,945. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.