Baxter International Inc. $BAX Stake Boosted by Park National Corp OH

Key Points

• Park National Corp OH significantly increased its stake in Baxter International by 2,691.4% during the 2nd quarter, acquiring a total of 219,512 shares valued at approximately $6.65 million.
• Multiple research analysts have revised their price targets for Baxter International, with UBS Group and Wells Fargo both lowering their targets to $24.00.
• Baxter International recently announced a $0.17 quarterly dividend, resulting in a 2.8% annualized yield, although the company's dividend payout ratio is notably negative at -226.67%.

Park National Corp OH lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 2,691.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,512 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 211,648 shares during the quarter. Park National Corp OH's holdings in Baxter International were worth $6,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the first quarter valued at $1,021,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 3.4% during the first quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 21,164 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $724,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the period. RNC Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 74.0% during the first quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 136,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,657,000 after purchasing an additional 57,855 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the first quarter worth $356,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,444,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,292,000 after purchasing an additional 125,431 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $23.88. 5,747,076 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,917,332. Baxter International Inc. has a 52 week low of $21.33 and a 52 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $25.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.24. The company has a market cap of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.61.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -226.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BAX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.11.

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.