Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $40.90 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.90.

A number of research firms recently commented on BAX. Citigroup decreased their price target on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Baxter International by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $447,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803,920 shares during the last quarter. Coho Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth $57,229,000. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its stake in Baxter International by 148.8% during the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 870,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,387,000 after buying an additional 520,633 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,319,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,037,000 after buying an additional 384,349 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its position in Baxter International by 22.1% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,154,616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $43,841,000 after acquiring an additional 208,726 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.6 %

BAX stock opened at $30.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a PE ratio of 153.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.42. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $28.33 and a twelve month high of $44.01.

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

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.