Ethic Inc. Sells 4,682 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Ethic Inc. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,682 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 19,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,359,000 after buying an additional 1,650 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 6,569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 10,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 1,369 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.2% during the second quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 53,054 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,139,000 after purchasing an additional 3,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 7,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,318,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 1,838 shares of company stock valued at $348,392 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $185.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $189.93 and a 200 day moving average of $183.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.40.

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.