Nicholas Company Inc. Reduces Position in Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX)

Nicholas Company Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 712,206 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 24,519 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $63,614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Boston Scientific by 308.8% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 278 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Boston Scientific by 86.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 328 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in Boston Scientific by 423.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 309 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Boston Scientific in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific by 262.4% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 395 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. 89.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BSX. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Boston Scientific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $111.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.91.

Boston Scientific Stock Performance

Shares of BSX opened at $97.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $101.05 and its 200-day moving average is $91.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Boston Scientific Co. has a 12-month low of $66.16 and a 12-month high of $107.17.

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.05. Boston Scientific had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 17.80%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Boston Scientific Co. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Boston Scientific

In other Boston Scientific news, CFO Daniel J. Brennan sold 15,087 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.07, for a total value of $1,585,191.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 241,451 shares in the company, valued at $25,369,256.57. This trade represents a 5.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 17,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.80, for a total transaction of $1,762,463.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $560,103.60. The trade was a 75.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,302 shares of company stock valued at $14,319,269 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system.