Hall Laurie J Trustee Cuts Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Hall Laurie J Trustee cut its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 12.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $72,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 205.4% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. United Community Bank acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Baxter International by 974.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in Baxter International by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,439 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen cut Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.73.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE BAX traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $36.24. The company had a trading volume of 2,947,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,278,583. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $18.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.57. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.75.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 18.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. Baxter International’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.91 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.31%.

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.