California State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

California State Teachers Retirement System lessened its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 644,430 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 64,839 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.13% of Baxter International worth $18,792,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its stake in Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 117.7% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 5,090 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 2,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 234.2% in the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 5,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 3,654 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BAX shares. Argus raised shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.25.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $30.49. The company had a trading volume of 4,932,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,473,048. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market cap of $15.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.63. Baxter International Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.25 and a 52-week high of $40.49.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.59 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. The company's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -61.82%.

Baxter International 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.