Advisors Preferred LLC Makes New Investment in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 39,292 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,526,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BAX. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $215,935,000. Carmignac Gestion grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 467.0% in the third quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 4,848,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $182,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,993,537 shares in the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter worth $114,307,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Baxter International by 69.0% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,491,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $244,983,000 after buying an additional 2,650,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the second quarter worth $54,127,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of BAX stock traded down $0.01 on Friday, hitting $42.62. The stock had a trading volume of 2,969,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,285,033. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.20. The company has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.62. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $31.01 and a one year high of $50.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 17.77%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BAX. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup raised their price target on Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.