CoreFirst Bank & Trust Takes $26,000 Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 5,488.2% in the 4th 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. LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in Baxter International by 60.8% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in Baxter International by 247.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867 shares during the period. CKW Financial Group raised 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. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 345.3% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 3,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Up 1.4 %

BAX opened at $33.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.34 and a 12 month high of $43.99. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.73.

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

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -53.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BAX shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.56.

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.