Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,724 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,701 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $222.95 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $232.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.54. 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 $64.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note 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 company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

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.