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

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.91.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its position in Baxter International by 213.5% in the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 23,192 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $881,000 after buying an additional 15,794 shares during the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC raised its position 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 worth $5,696,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd. bought a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter worth $57,229,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Baxter International by 8.7% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 217,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,263,000 after buying an additional 17,450 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the first quarter worth about $6,083,000. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of Baxter International stock traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $33.21. 4,646,348 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,283,552. The company has a market capitalization of $16.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 166.06, a P/E/G ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 0.60. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.67. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $31.60 and a 12 month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company 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 $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Baxter International's payout ratio is currently 580.03%.

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.