Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 40.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,745,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 502,370 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $50,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CKW Financial Group increased its stake 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 worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its position 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 worth $59,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in Baxter International by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 13,618 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE BAX opened at $28.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.13 and a 1-year high of $42.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.36.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -53.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BAX. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. 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 research report on Friday, February 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.56.

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.