Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Reaches New 12-Month Low at $37.48

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX – Get Rating) shares reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $37.48 and last traded at $37.56, with a volume of 1707231 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James lowered shares of Baxter International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $55.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Baxter International from $63.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $51.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.14.

Baxter International Trading Down 2.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $42.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.12.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.06). Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 24.03% and a negative net margin of 16.10%. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 24th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 23rd. Baxter International’s payout ratio is -24.02%.

Insider Transactions at Baxter International

In related news, SVP Jacqueline Kunzler sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.50, for a total value of $154,426.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,362.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Jacqueline Kunzler sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.50, for a total value of $154,426.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,362.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jeanne K. Mason sold 59,477 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.70, for a total transaction of $2,658,621.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 126,231 shares in the company, valued at $5,642,525.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Colonial Trust Advisors raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 3.2% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 12,194 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 52.9% during the third quarter. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 5,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. UBS Oconnor LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 185.4% during the third quarter. UBS Oconnor LLC now owns 102,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,539,000 after acquiring an additional 66,800 shares in the last quarter. Hallmark Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 235.3% during the third quarter. Hallmark Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,425 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 4.1% during the third quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 61,053 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,386 shares in the last quarter. 84.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International Company Profile

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Baxter International, Inc engages in the provision of a portfolio of essential healthcare products including acute and chronic dialysis therapies, sterile intravenous (IV) solutions, infusion systems and devices, parenteral nutrition therapies, inhaled anesthetics, generic injectable pharmaceuticals, surgical hemostat and sealant products, surgical equipment, smart bed systems, patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies, and respiratory health devices.