Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Community Bank N.A.

Community Bank N.A. reduced its stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 79.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,675 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 18,532 shares during the quarter. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 10,836,563 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $408,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,787 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 69.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,491,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $244,983,000 after purchasing an additional 2,650,959 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $215,935,000. Carmignac Gestion increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 467.0% in the 3rd quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 4,848,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $182,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,993,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,151,515 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $118,938,000 after purchasing an additional 30,477 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Trading Down 2.0 %

BAX stock traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $40.10. 1,995,846 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,623,372. The company has a market capitalization of $20.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.84, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $50.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.50.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 17.77% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BAX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.30.

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.