Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.45.

BAX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup reduced 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First PREMIER Bank bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International during the third quarter worth $38,000. LRI Investments LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 247.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE BAX opened at $30.99 on Monday. 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 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $44.01. The company has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a PE ratio of 154.94, a P/E/G ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.70.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently 340.02%.

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.