WASHINGTON TRUST Co Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

WASHINGTON TRUST Co trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 76,094 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 833 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Abound Wealth Management raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of BDX traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.44. 141,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,368,582. 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 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $259.92. The company’s 50 day moving average is $237.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.04. The company has a market capitalization of $68.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.31, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded 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, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

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.