Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,259 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co lifted its stake in Baxter International by 5,488.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 60.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. CKW Financial Group lifted its stake in Baxter International by 100.0% during the third quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 247.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. StockNews.com cut Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Argus upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.56.

Baxter International Price Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $36.64 on Tuesday. Baxter International Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.34 and a 12 month high of $43.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.74 billion, a PE ratio of -28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. Equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -53.13%.

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.