Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,200,000 shares, a growth of 21.2% from the August 31st total of 10,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,420,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.
Analyst Ratings Changes
BAX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $39.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, July 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.73.
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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International
Baxter International Stock Performance
Shares of BAX stock traded down $0.94 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $37.97. 4,866,087 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,141,599. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $37.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01.
Baxter International (NYSE:BAX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 16.51% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The business’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Analysts predict that Baxter International will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Baxter International Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is 22.31%.
Baxter International Company Profile
Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.
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