Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by NBC Securities Inc.

NBC Securities Inc. decreased its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. NBC Securities Inc.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $51,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Baxter International by 73.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,772,533 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $226,541,000 after purchasing an additional 2,862,626 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $140,296,000. Shapiro Capital Management LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC now owns 3,285,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $109,885,000 after acquiring an additional 541,575 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at $67,263,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Baxter International by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,206,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $51,553,000 after acquiring an additional 84,808 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $36.86 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a PE ratio of 7.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.61 and a 200-day moving average of $36.58. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $31.70 and a one year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released 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 business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.06% and a net margin of 16.51%. Baxter International’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BAX. Morgan Stanley lowered Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $39.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, July 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

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.