Veritas Asset Management LLP Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,295,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 189,520 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 4.1% of Veritas Asset Management LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Veritas Asset Management LLP owned about 0.79% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $553,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fort L.P. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $226,000. BSW Wealth Partners grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,437,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,804,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9% in the third quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $773,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.7 %

BDX traded up $1.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $235.24. 1,278,383 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 913,826. The firm's fifty day moving average is $237.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $259.92. The company has a market cap of $67.99 billion, a PE ratio of 48.40, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James reduced their target price on 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.