Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $882,000 Stock Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 55.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 10,768 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Baxter International were worth $882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $429,000. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth about $294,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 247.3% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 345.3% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 3,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 97,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 9,054 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock traded up $0.07 on Tuesday, hitting $28.61. 4,604,358 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,550,192. 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 stock has a market cap of $14.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.25 and a 1-year high of $41.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $32.41 and a 200-day moving average of $32.53.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. On average, analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio is currently -53.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on BAX. Barclays increased their target price on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.56.

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.