Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Lowers Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT decreased its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,337 shares during the period. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BAX. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 60.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 247.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays started coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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 shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.80.

Baxter International Trading Up 1.3 %

BAX stock opened at $33.87 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.12. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.33 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $17.29 billion, a PE ratio of -26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 0.61.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -53.13%.

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.