Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc.

Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,179 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during 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 raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,342,503,000 after purchasing an additional 512,566 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,034,523 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,043,045,000 after purchasing an additional 395,657 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after buying an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.04 on Wednesday, hitting $234.40. 357,493 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,375,750. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $239.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.79. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.54, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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 return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.98 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.