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

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.56.

BAX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CKW Financial Group boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 3.4% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 14,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $496,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. Home Federal Bank of Tennessee boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 2.5% in the first quarter. Home Federal Bank of Tennessee now owns 22,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 17.3% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,822 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 48.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:BAX opened at $31.01 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $26.25 and a 12-month high of $40.71.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is -53.13%.

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.