14,156 Shares in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Bought by BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 14,156 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $413,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BAX. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in Baxter International by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 50,377,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,469,002,000 after buying an additional 5,779,100 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,803,920 shares in the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at about $72,450,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC raised its position in Baxter International by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $74,306,000 after purchasing an additional 662,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its stake in Baxter International by 148.8% during the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 870,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $25,387,000 after purchasing an additional 520,633 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $30.60. 3,970,771 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,571,149. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.91, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.36 and a 200 day moving average of $32.36. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $26.25 and a one year high of $40.96.

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

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is -53.13%.

Baxter International 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.