Focus Financial Network Inc. Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Focus Financial Network Inc. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,490 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $600,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.9% in the third quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 131,105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,609,000 after acquiring an additional 18,958 shares in the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 19,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,675,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 83,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,104,000 after purchasing an additional 9,190 shares in the last quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,791,000. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $235.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $67.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $259.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $237.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.07. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

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.