Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC Boosts Stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 35.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,546 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 924 shares during the quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in Baxter International by 5,488.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Baxter International by 48.1% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 1,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 58.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 1,502 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $30.27 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a PE ratio of -23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.40. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.25 and a 1 year high of $40.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.59 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. Baxter International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -61.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BAX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Baxter International from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.25.

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.