iSAM Funds UK Ltd Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 32.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,695 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $220.02 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $233.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.73. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.61 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

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.