Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.90.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup reduced their price target on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $447,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803,920 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd. bought a new stake in Baxter International during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,229,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $74,306,000 after buying an additional 662,042 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in Baxter International by 148.8% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 870,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $25,387,000 after acquiring an additional 520,633 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,319,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,037,000 after acquiring an additional 384,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of BAX stock traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.79. 5,195,776 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,567,710. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $30.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.41. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $28.33 and a 12-month high of $44.01. The stock has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 153.97, a PEG ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Baxter International will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Company 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.