Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stake Lessened by Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) by 4.5%, now holding 30,495 shares valued at approximately $5.25 million.
• Over 86% of BDX stock is owned by institutional investors, with significant investments made by GQG Partners LLC and Vanguard Group Inc. this year.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" for BDX, with a price target averaging $205.40, following recent upgrades from several brokerages.

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,426 shares during the period. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $211,097,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $155,080,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after buying an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $186.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $190.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $53.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

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.

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