Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Purchased by ARGA Investment Management LP

ARGA Investment Management LP raised its holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 148.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 870,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 520,633 shares during the period. Baxter International comprises 0.8% of ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. ARGA Investment Management LP owned about 0.17% of Baxter International worth $25,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Coho Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,229,000. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Baxter International by 22.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 208,726 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Baxter International by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $460,022,000 after purchasing an additional 170,776 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in Baxter International by 140.5% in the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 273,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,987,000 after purchasing an additional 160,000 shares during the period. Finally, Sivik Global Healthcare LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 150,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $5,696,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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 note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.90.

Baxter International Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:BAX traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.63. The company had a trading volume of 2,894,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,554,846. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.76 and a 200 day moving average of $34.43. The company has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 153.16, a P/E/G ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.33 and a 1 year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International's dividend 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.