174,176 Shares in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Purchased by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 174,176 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $5,104,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 5,488.2% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 60.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. CKW Financial Group grew its holdings in Baxter International by 100.0% during the third quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 247.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 345.3% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 3,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 2,935 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.76. The stock had a trading volume of 2,513,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,385,449. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.37, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $28.34 and a one year high of $43.99. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $33.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.66.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International's payout ratio is -53.13%.

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.