Becton Dickinson & Co. (BDX) opened at 81.99. So far today, the stock has hit a low of 81.73 and a high of 82.49. BDX is now trading at 82.25, up 1.39 (1.70%). The stock hit its 52 week high of 85.89 in November and set its 52 week low of 69.30 in January. BDX rose during the first half of 2007, but has been moving sideways for the past few months. Shares of Becton Dickinson continued to rise today after Accelr8 Technology Corp. (AXK) announced last week that BDX purchased an exclusive right to negotiate for a business relationship to develop Accelr8's BACcel(R) rapid diagnostic platform. Technical indicators for the stock are neutral but deteriorating while S&P gives BDX a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy rating. If you’re looking for a hedged play on this stock, consider a March bull-put credit spread below the $70 range. BDX stock could fall up to 14.9% before expiration and this position would still be profitable. [RHF - Seven Summits Strategic Investments NewsBite]