Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $39.00.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BAX shares. Argus upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays assumed coverage on Baxter International in a report on Thursday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 60.8% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. CKW Financial Group increased its stake in Baxter International by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX opened at $34.81 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.81 billion, a PE ratio of -27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International has a one year low of $28.33 and a one year high of $44.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $31.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.05.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. As a group, analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is -53.13%.

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.