Intact Investment Management Inc. Invests $2.37 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,365,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of BDX traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $231.55. 738,154 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,001,849. The company has a market cap of $66.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week 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. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $239.24 and its 200-day moving average is $241.24.

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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the 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.