National Pension Service Has $43.84 Million Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 22.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,154,616 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 208,726 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.23% of Baxter International worth $43,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BAX. First PREMIER Bank acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 974.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $36.04. The stock had a trading volume of 5,599,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,036,277. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 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. Baxter International Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.48 and a 52 week high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.75 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 16.51% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley downgraded Baxter International from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.20.

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.