Raiffeisen Bank International AG Purchases Shares of 76,587 Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 76,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,193,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. CKW Financial Group boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,752 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on BAX. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays increased 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. Finally, Argus upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.25.

Baxter International Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $30.32. The company had a trading volume of 932,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,492,180. The company has a market capitalization of $15.56 billion, a PE ratio of -23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.63. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $26.25 and a one year high of $40.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Baxter International's payout ratio is currently -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.