Entropy Technologies LP Purchases 15,794 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 213.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,192 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 15,794 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Baxter International were worth $881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First PREMIER Bank bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 974.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BAX. StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.91.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $31.71. 2,215,429 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,061,080. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.61 and a 1 year high of $44.01. The company has a market capitalization of $16.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 161.66, a PEG ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm's 50-day moving average is $37.13 and its 200 day moving average is $35.94.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.19% and a net margin of 0.77%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is currently 580.03%.

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.