Oarsman Capital Inc. Buys Shares of 5,375 Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Oarsman Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $157,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BAX. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 5,488.2% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, CKW Financial Group increased its stake in Baxter International by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Down 8.2 %

NYSE:BAX opened at $28.77 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $33.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.76 billion, a PE ratio of -22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. Baxter International Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.34 and a 12 month high of $42.86. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. Research analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is -53.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BAX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.56.

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.