11,641 Shares in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Acquired by E Fund Management Co. Ltd.

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 11,641 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BAX. Riverview Trust Co lifted its stake in Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 60.8% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. CKW Financial Group lifted its stake in Baxter International by 100.0% in the third quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 23.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BAX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Argus raised shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.33.

Baxter International Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of BAX stock opened at $36.61 on Friday. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.33 and a 1 year high of $44.01. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -53.13%.

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.