Tobam Lowers Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Tobam lowered its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 85.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 73,071 shares during the period. Tobam’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. CKW Financial Group boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 6.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 60.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 9,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of BAX stock opened at $30.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average of $30.82 and a 200 day moving average of $34.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.64 billion, a PE ratio of 153.16, a P/E/G ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.33 and a 1-year high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is 340.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.90.

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.