Hall Laurie J Trustee Sells 650 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Hall Laurie J Trustee cut its holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,982 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 650 shares during the quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 345.3% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 247.3% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867 shares during the period. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $294,000. PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth $429,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in Baxter International by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 41,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 9,357 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Performance

BAX opened at $30.99 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.70. Baxter International Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $44.01. The company has a market cap of $15.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.94, a PEG ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.45.

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.