916 Shares in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Purchased by LRI Investments LLC

LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $39,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Baxter International by 205.4% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. CKW Financial Group acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. United Community Bank acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in Baxter International by 76.6% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,439 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX stock traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $35.51. The stock had a trading volume of 3,470,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,924,809. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.10 billion, a PE ratio of 6.83, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.57. Baxter International Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.01 and a twelve month high of $47.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $34.10 and its 200 day moving average is $38.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.79%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BAX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.67.

Baxter International Company 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.