Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Jacobs & Co. CA

Jacobs & Co. CA lowered its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 437 shares during the quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BAX. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after acquiring an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC now owns 3,285,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $109,885,000 after acquiring an additional 541,575 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $67,263,000. Coho Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,229,000. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,154,616 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $43,841,000 after acquiring an additional 208,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Baxter International stock traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $29.33. 3,426,311 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,812,032. The firm has a market cap of $14.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 146.66, a PEG ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.59. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $31.71 and a 200 day moving average of $34.83. Baxter International Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. Baxter International’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is 340.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.45.

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.