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

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, July 14th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of 0.17 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%.

Baxter International has a dividend payout ratio of 25.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Baxter International to earn $2.73 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 24.9%.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE BAX traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $28.53. 6,090,742 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,517,638. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.64 billion, a PE ratio of -25.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.02. The business's fifty day moving average price is $30.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.27. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $26.25 and a 52-week high of $40.49.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.59 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 4.71% and a positive return on equity of 17.24%. Baxter International's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. Analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on BAX. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Baxter International from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.50.

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.

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