State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 162,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,034 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $39,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $231.55. 738,143 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,929. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.40 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $66.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.61, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $239.43 and its 200 day moving average is $241.66.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

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.