Prosperity Consulting Group LLC Decreases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Prosperity Consulting Group LLC lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,094 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 718 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 115.8% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 41,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,481,000 after purchasing an additional 22,422 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 46,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,613,000 after purchasing an additional 10,215 shares during the last quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 200.3% in the fourth quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 9,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 6,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 263.8% in the fourth quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 14,532 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,297,000 after purchasing an additional 10,537 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $205.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $218.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.98. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $272.86.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.