Greenleaf Trust Sells 2,261 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Greenleaf Trust lowered its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 23.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,261 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First PREMIER Bank bought a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International during the third quarter worth $38,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 60.8% in the third 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. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 247.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Down 2.0 %

BAX stock opened at $30.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.18, a P/E/G ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.61. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.48. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.33 and a 1-year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BAX shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.90.

Baxter International 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.