Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,685 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Abound Wealth Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% in the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $235.61. 112,890 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,284. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $259.92. The company has a market cap of $68.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

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.