Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.79%. Baxter International’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS.

Baxter International Stock Performance

BAX stock traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $37.42. 3,730,554 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,266,467. The firm has a market cap of $19.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.20, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.91. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $44.01.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley downgraded Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $39.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Baxter International from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.73.

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.