Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $40.91 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.91.

A number of research firms have issued reports on BAX. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First PREMIER Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Baxter International by 974.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE BAX opened at $33.31 on Friday. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $31.60 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01. The stock has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 166.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $35.70 and a 200-day moving average of $35.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Baxter International will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is currently 580.03%.

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.