Whittier Trust Co. Lowers Stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Whittier Trust Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 21.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,884 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $55,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $447,870,000 after buying an additional 2,803,920 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $460,022,000 after acquiring an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,306,000 after acquiring an additional 662,042 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,319,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,037,000 after purchasing an additional 384,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,160,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $33,845,000 after purchasing an additional 21,592 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BAX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Argus upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.56.

Baxter International Stock Up 1.3 %

BAX opened at $33.63 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.78. The company has a market capitalization of $17.20 billion, a PE ratio of -26.27, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.34 and a 1-year high of $43.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.67% and a negative net margin of 5.05%. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -53.13%.

Baxter International Company 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.