Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Bought by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,446,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 290,279 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $362,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $447,870,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803,920 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in Baxter International by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,306,000 after purchasing an additional 662,042 shares in the last quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter valued at $72,450,000. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,319,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,037,000 after buying an additional 384,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,160,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,845,000 after buying an additional 21,592 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BAX shares. Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.56.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX opened at $28.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.76 billion, a PE ratio of -22.48, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. 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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $33.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.45. Baxter International Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.34 and a 52 week high of $42.86.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. Research analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is -53.13%.

Baxter International 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.