Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Makes New Investment in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. bought a new position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 31,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $907,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at $38,000. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 60.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at $62,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 247.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Finally, CKW Financial Group increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $30.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $15.74 billion, a PE ratio of 154.16, a P/E/G ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.25. Baxter International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.33 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 340.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on BAX. Citigroup cut their price target on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.44.

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.