Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Lowers Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 514,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 101,451 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 2.2% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned approximately 0.18% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $88,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 18,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,255,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,838 shares of company stock valued at $348,392. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE BDX opened at $186.62 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $190.13 and a 200-day moving average of $184.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $53.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.