Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Purchased by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 76.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,439 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $56,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $215,935,000. Carmignac Gestion raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 467.0% during the 3rd quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 4,848,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $182,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,993,537 shares during the period. Shapiro Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $114,307,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 69.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,491,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $244,983,000 after purchasing an additional 2,650,959 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $54,127,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Baxter International Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of BAX stock opened at $39.47 on Friday. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $50.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $41.80 and its 200-day moving average is $38.41. 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 (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 17.77%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. Equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.