Short Interest in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Expands By 17.7%

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 20,990,000 shares, an increase of 17.7% from the February 13th total of 17,830,000 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,900,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at $365,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth $5,102,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth $2,193,000. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth $220,000. Finally, Parkwood LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth $10,747,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BAX shares. Argus upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.56.

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Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $33.22. 8,139,326 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,276,652. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $32.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.84. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $28.34 and a twelve month high of $43.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of -25.95, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is -53.13%.

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.