Short Interest in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Grows By 30.4%

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,740,000 shares, an increase of 30.4% from the December 31st total of 12,840,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,460,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BAX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.45.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $32.60 on Monday. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $28.33 and a 1-year high of $44.01. The company has a market cap of $16.65 billion, a PE ratio of 163.03, a P/E/G ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.61. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $30.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.56.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Baxter International will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First PREMIER Bank bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 60.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 247.3% in the fourth 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. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.