Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. Cuts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 21,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 440 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 3.9% of Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of 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 objective 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $3.36 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $230.47. The stock had a trading volume of 885,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,375,185. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $239.62 and a 200-day moving average of $241.73. 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 has a market capitalization of $66.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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.