Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 26,905 Shares of Baxter International Inc. $BAX

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Baxter International Inc. by 34.6%, holding 50,832 shares worth approximately $1.74 million as of the latest quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have acquired new positions or increased their stakes in Baxter International, with institutional ownership comprising 90.19% of the company's stock.
• Baxter International's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target reduced to $30.11.

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 34.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 26,905 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Baxter International were worth $1,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BAX. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in Baxter International by 2.1% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 51,458,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,761,439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081,631 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its holdings in Baxter International by 52.5% in the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 1,327,946 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,456,000 after purchasing an additional 457,345 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 11,821.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 387,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,271,000 after purchasing an additional 384,437 shares during the period. Parkwood LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at $10,747,000. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT increased its holdings in Baxter International by 13.7% in the first quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT now owns 2,825,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $96,731,000 after purchasing an additional 341,321 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of BAX traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.00. The stock had a trading volume of 5,749,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,076,219. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -80.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.33 and a 1-year high of $40.49.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 16.96%. The business'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. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -226.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on BAX shares. Citigroup decreased 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. UBS Group decreased their price target on Baxter International from $35.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price target (down from $36.00) on shares of Baxter International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Baxter International from $33.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.11.

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.