Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC Has $7.18 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 31,627 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.3% of Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $248.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $230.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.66. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $250.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.