Jump Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 1,078.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 139,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 127,228 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in Baxter International were worth $4,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CKW Financial Group lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 13,618 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 1,541 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on BAX shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Argus upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.56.

Baxter International Stock Up 3.9 %

Baxter International stock traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $28.90. The stock had a trading volume of 5,523,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,546,784. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.25 and a fifty-two week high of $41.18. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $32.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.83 billion, a PE ratio of -22.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. Baxter International's 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.