Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 63.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 23,290 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Baxter International were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at about $429,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 41,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 9,357 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in Baxter International by 15.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,487,000 after purchasing an additional 22,787 shares during the period. Empire Financial Management Company LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 263.3% during the third quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC now owns 26,907 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,022,000 after purchasing an additional 19,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $460,022,000 after buying an additional 170,776 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.4 %

Baxter International stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $29.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,164,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,666,602. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.93. The company has a market cap of $15.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.06, a P/E/G ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.33 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is presently 340.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.45.

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.