Farther Finance Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 23.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $96,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First PREMIER Bank acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 974.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.91.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:BAX opened at $34.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 171.11, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.40. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.48 and a 1 year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.06% and a net margin of 16.51%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 580.03%.

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.