New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $35.05 Million Stock Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 906,732 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 76,013 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.18% of Baxter International worth $35,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. CKW Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BAX shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.30.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of BAX opened at $40.23 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $41.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Baxter International Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.01 and a 52-week high of $50.21. The company has a market cap of $20.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

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.