Short Interest in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Increases By 27.0%

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,680,000 shares, a growth of 27.0% from the March 31st total of 7,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,530,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,013,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,869,431. The company has a market capitalization of $20.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.62. The company's fifty day moving average is $41.82 and its 200-day moving average is $38.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $50.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 17.77%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Baxter International's payout ratio is 22.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 205.4% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 953 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. Barclays upped their price target on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their price target on Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.30.

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.