GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Buys Shares of 12,513 Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 12,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $365,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 50,377,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,469,002,000 after buying an additional 5,779,100 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $447,870,000 after buying an additional 2,803,920 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,446,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $362,006,000 after buying an additional 290,279 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $74,306,000 after buying an additional 662,042 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $72,450,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $30.43. The company had a trading volume of 796,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,460,261. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.77, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.63. The company's 50-day moving average price is $30.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.53. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $26.25 and a one year high of $40.49.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.59 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 5.05% and a positive return on equity of 16.67%. Baxter International's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Baxter International's payout ratio is -61.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BAX. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Baxter International from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Baxter International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Argus upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.25.

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.