Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC Acquires 65,698 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 115,259.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,755 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 65,698 shares during the quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $1,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $447,870,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803,920 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Baxter International by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,446,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $362,006,000 after purchasing an additional 290,279 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,306,000 after purchasing an additional 662,042 shares during the period. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth $72,450,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,745,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,904,000 after buying an additional 502,370 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX stock opened at $28.13 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.97, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $32.81 and its 200-day moving average is $33.03. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.25 and a 1 year high of $42.48.

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

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -53.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on BAX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.56.

Baxter International 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.