Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Cromwell Holdings LLC

Cromwell Holdings LLC cut its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 29.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,147 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 469 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $34,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after acquiring an additional 170,776 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,229,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,160,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,845,000 after acquiring an additional 21,592 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 22.1% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,113,125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,459,000 after acquiring an additional 13,424 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $33.44 on Friday. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $28.33 and a one year high of $44.01. 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 firm has a market cap of $17.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 167.18, a PEG ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $30.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.14.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Research analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is currently 340.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BAX has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays initiated coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.40.

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.