United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases 302 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 19,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,675,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in 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 in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded 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 note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $1.85 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $234.76. 303,883 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,685. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $237.62 and a 200 day moving average of $235.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $259.92. 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 market capitalization of $67.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.