Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 247.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,522 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,507 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its position in 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 valued at $4,302,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in 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 buying an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in 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 buying an additional 7,790 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of BDX opened at $231.55 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $239.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.89 billion, a PE ratio of 54.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.98 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.