Hantz Financial Services Inc. Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,124 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,458,000. Cacti Asset Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the second quarter. Cacti Asset Management LLC now owns 180,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,801,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% during the second quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northside Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $7,939,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE:BDX opened at $181.49 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $52.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Argus upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,895 shares of company stock valued at $358,995. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.