Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $36.14 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $36.14.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BAX. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 1st quarter valued at $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 boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 20.5% in the 1st quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,935 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Baxter International Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of BAX stock traded down $1.31 during trading on Monday, reaching $29.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,929,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,340,968. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $15.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.61. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $30.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.25. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $26.25 and a 1-year high of $40.49.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. Baxter International's payout ratio 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.