Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after acquiring an additional 18,786 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,481,000 after acquiring an additional 5,006 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $240.45 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $262.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $69.49 billion, a PE ratio of 52.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.