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

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.56.

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

Baxter International Stock Down 1.0 %

Baxter International stock opened at $33.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.32, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $33.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.54. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $28.34 and a twelve month high of $43.72.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -53.13%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BAX. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 263.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC now owns 26,907 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 19,500 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in Baxter International by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,487,000 after purchasing an additional 22,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 29.5% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 41,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,558,000 after buying an additional 9,357 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.