Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Position Decreased by Lathrop Investment Management Corp

Lathrop Investment Management Corp lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Lathrop Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE BDX traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $231.55. 738,154 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,001,849. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $239.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $66.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.87, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 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.