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

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.56.

BAX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Argus raised shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Baxter International by 48.1% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.2 %

BAX stock opened at $28.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $26.25 and a 1-year high of $41.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.53.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. Equities analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Baxter International's payout ratio is -53.13%.

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.

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