Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.56.

BAX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays increased their target price on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 50,377,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,469,002,000 after acquiring an additional 5,779,100 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $447,870,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803,920 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,446,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $362,006,000 after acquiring an additional 290,279 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $74,306,000 after acquiring an additional 662,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter valued at $72,450,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $33.76 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.27 billion, a PE ratio of -26.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $28.34 and a 52-week high of $43.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend 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.