Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.90.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th.

Baxter International Stock Down 2.0 %

BAX opened at $30.84 on Friday. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $44.01. The company has a market cap of $15.74 billion, a PE ratio of 154.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $30.87 and a 200 day moving average of $34.48.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is currently 340.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Baxter International by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $447,870,000 after buying an additional 2,803,920 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd. purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,229,000. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in Baxter International by 148.8% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 870,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,387,000 after acquiring an additional 520,633 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its stake in Baxter International by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,154,616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $43,841,000 after purchasing an additional 208,726 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after purchasing an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Baxter International

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.