Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $40.91 Average Price Target from Analysts

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.91.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BAX shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 43,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Baxter International by 4.6% in the second quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,759 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 20.8% in the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,235 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.6 %

Baxter International stock opened at $32.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $16.79 billion, a PE ratio of 164.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $35.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.63. Baxter International has a one year low of $31.60 and a one year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.98 EPS 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. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.00%.

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.