Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX – Get Rating) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $63.07.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BAX shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Baxter International from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $55.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, January 6th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Thursday, October 27th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of Baxter International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 5th.

Baxter International Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $44.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $51.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $43.92 and a 1-year high of $89.70.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 16.12% and a positive return on equity of 22.65%. The company had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Baxter International will post 3.56 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 1st. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -24.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 30.1% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 10,964 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $850,000 after purchasing an additional 2,535 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 6.0% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 281,374 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,818,000 after purchasing an additional 15,925 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 29.2% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Eudaimonia Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the first quarter worth about $340,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 6.2% in the first quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,815 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.84% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Company Profile

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Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company offers peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis, and additional dialysis therapies and services; intravenous therapies, infusion pumps, administration sets, and drug reconstitution devices; remixed and oncology drug platforms, inhaled anesthesia and critical care products and pharmacy compounding services; parenteral nutrition therapies and related products; biological products and medical devices used in surgical procedures for hemostasis, tissue sealing and adhesion prevention; and continuous renal replacement therapies and other organ support therapies focused in the intensive care unit.