Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Buys 192 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% in the second 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 owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $240.52 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $262.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $237.33 and a 200 day moving average of $235.16.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.