Duality Advisers LP Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Duality Advisers LP bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $715,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 512,566 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 395,657 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after acquiring an additional 304,629 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Barclays increased their price target 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 target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $233.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $67.52 billion, a PE ratio of 55.39, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $239.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.73. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.