First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Sells 500 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown trimmed its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $963,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. United Services Automobile Association increased its stake in Baxter International by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 11,440 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in Baxter International by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,797 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,815 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 29.2% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE BAX traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $39.69. The company had a trading volume of 613,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,653,423. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $41.80 and its 200-day moving average is $38.40. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $50.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 17.77%. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BAX. StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Bank of America upped their price target on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their price target on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.30.

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.