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

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.33.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CKW Financial Group boosted its position in Baxter International by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC boosted its position 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 worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Baxter International by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 13,618 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $36.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of -28.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.05. Baxter International has a one year low of $28.33 and a one year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. Research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -53.13%.

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.