New York State Common Retirement Fund Buys 34,748 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 476,248 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 34,748 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $13,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BAX. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $38,000. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in Baxter International by 247.3% in the 4th 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 period. CKW Financial Group lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 19.3% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 23.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $33.87 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $17.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.46, a PEG ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $30.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.10. Baxter International Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.33 and a twelve month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -53.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BAX has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays started coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.80.

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.