Baxter International Inc. $BAX Shares Purchased by Dodge & Cox

Key Points

• Dodge & Cox increased its stake in Baxter International by 2.1%, owning over 51 million shares valued at approximately $1.76 billion as of the latest SEC filing.
• Baxter International reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.59, missing the consensus estimate by $0.01, along with a revenue of $2.81 billion, slightly below analysts' expectations.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share, with a payout ratio currently at -226.67%.

Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,458,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,081,631 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox owned about 10.03% of Baxter International worth $1,761,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Baxter International during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 1st quarter valued at about $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. 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. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 35.2% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 3,546 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of 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 reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 target price (down previously from $36.00) on shares of Baxter International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.11.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of BAX traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $24.37. 2,078,131 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,324,591. The company has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.33 and a fifty-two week high of $40.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock's 50-day moving average is $27.13 and its 200-day moving average is $30.04.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). Baxter International had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 16.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

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

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.