A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires New Shares in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 10,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BAX. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Baxter International by 9.5% during the third quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 23.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, First PREMIER Bank acquired a new stake in Baxter International during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE BAX traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $29.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,511,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,498,426. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $31.71 and its 200 day moving average is $34.83. The company has a market capitalization of $14.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 146.31, 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 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 analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. Baxter International’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.