Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX) Position Boosted by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,431 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BSX. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 4,292.3% during the third quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 2,676,847 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $224,320,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615,903 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 62,846,328 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $5,266,522,000 after buying an additional 1,389,172 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Boston Scientific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,710,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific by 17.5% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 5,470,174 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $457,138,000 after acquiring an additional 815,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 2.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 32,820,828 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,750,385,000 after acquiring an additional 718,515 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.07% of the company’s stock.

Boston Scientific Stock Performance

BSX stock opened at $104.44 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.49. Boston Scientific Co. has a 52 week low of $65.52 and a 52 week high of $107.17. The stock has a market cap of $154.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.05. Boston Scientific had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 17.80%. Research analysts anticipate that Boston Scientific Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Boston Scientific from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Boston Scientific from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Boston Scientific in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Boston Scientific from $105.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $111.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Daniel J. Brennan sold 15,087 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.07, for a total value of $1,585,191.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 241,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,369,256.57. This represents a 5.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John Bradley Sorenson sold 4,119 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.02, for a total value of $370,792.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 35,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,179,416.38. This trade represents a 10.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 139,630 shares of company stock valued at $14,467,616 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Boston Scientific Profile

Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system.