Bernzott Capital Advisors Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bernzott Capital Advisors lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,682 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 2.4% of Bernzott Capital Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Bernzott Capital Advisors’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Abound Wealth Management raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% in the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $239.33. The stock had a trading volume of 176,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,372,301. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $259.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $237.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.64, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast 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.