Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by John G Ullman & Associates Inc.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 22.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 54,207 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 15,622 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $2,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BAX. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. CKW Financial Group bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on BAX. Citigroup boosted their target price on Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.30.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:BAX traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $39.47. 2,788,110 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,671,215. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $50.21. The firm has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.60, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.62.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 EPS. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Baxter International 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.