HM Payson & Co. Reduces Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

HM Payson & Co. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,693 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $478,295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,423,353 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,544,000 after buying an additional 788,735 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $173,692,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $655,149,000 after buying an additional 688,296 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,031,167,000 after buying an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised shares of 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. Raymond James cut their price target 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. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of BDX traded down $0.96 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $235.65. The company had a trading volume of 31,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,365,598. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $237.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.05. The stock has a market cap of $68.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.12, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $259.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its 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 company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.