Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 18,958 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 131,105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,958 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 1.8% of Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $31,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.2% during the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 13,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,274,000 after buying an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $324,000. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.5% during the first quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 1,256 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,481,000 after buying an additional 5,006 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of BDX opened at $233.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $67.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.04, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $259.92. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.04.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 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 the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James decreased their target price on 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 lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently 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.