Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Jennison Associates LLC

Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 383,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,287 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC owned 0.13% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $93,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the third quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 714,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $174,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,790 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $233.88 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $287.32. 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 stock has a market cap of $67.57 billion, a PE ratio of 55.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $239.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.99.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.