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

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.91.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $32.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $31.60 and a twelve month high of $44.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.79 billion, a PE ratio of 164.38, a P/E/G ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $35.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.63.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Baxter International will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.00%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

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

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.