Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $39.00 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.33.

BAX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Baxter International Price Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $35.44 on Tuesday. 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 $18.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.69, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.71 and a 200-day moving average of $34.06. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $28.33 and a 1 year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -53.13%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at $365,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at $5,102,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,193,000. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter worth about $220,000. Finally, Parkwood LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,747,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.