Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $42.00.

BAX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in Baxter International by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 286,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,232,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the first quarter valued at $2,185,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Baxter International by 7.6% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,206,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,553,000 after buying an additional 84,808 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 76.8% in the 1st quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 41,708 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 18,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 92,912 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,971,000 after acquiring an additional 23,306 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX stock opened at $36.33 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.31%.

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.