Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 140 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

by · The Markets Daily

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,023 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 140 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $227,000. &PARTNERS bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $711,000. Cooper Financial Group raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.6% in the 1st quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 3,321 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $822,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strong Tower Advisory Services lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 4,999 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. Raymond James reduced 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company 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 stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

Read Our Latest Report on Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $243.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $237.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.24. The stock has a market cap of $70.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $262.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

(Free Report)

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.

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