CENTRAL TRUST Co Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

CENTRAL TRUST Co lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,590 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $238.13 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $237.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $259.92. The company has a market cap of $68.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.45, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.