Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Announces $0.17 Quarterly Dividend

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 11th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of 0.17 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%.

Baxter International has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 1.4% per year over the last three years. Baxter International has a payout ratio of 25.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Baxter International to earn $2.47 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.5%.

Baxter International Stock Down 1.7 %

BAX stock opened at $30.08 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 151.03, a P/E/G ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $44.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BAX. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.90.

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.