Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 232,651 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 30,832 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Baxter International were worth $8,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 1,785 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Baxter International by 69.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 8.2% during the third quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 154.7% in the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 13,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 8,245 shares during the period. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter valued at about $614,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on BAX shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. 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, Bank of America boosted their price target on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.30.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $40.23. The company had a trading volume of 3,565,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,644,226. The company has a market capitalization of $20.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $41.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.52. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $50.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 17.77% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The company had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

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.