Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Baxter International Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from nine brokerages, with one sell rating, three hold ratings, and five buy ratings among them.
• The average 1-year target price for Baxter International's stock is $36.38, despite recent downgrades from several analysts, including Morgan Stanley and Citigroup.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.59, which fell short of the consensus estimate, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share with a yield of 3.1%.

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.38.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Baxter International from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BAX. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Baxter International in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 48.1% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 82.2% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp raised its stake in Baxter International by 20.5% during the 1st quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,935 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $21.76 on Friday. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $21.47 and a fifty-two week high of $40.49. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $29.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.78, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.61.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.24% and a negative net margin of 4.71%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -61.82%.

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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