Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Huntington National Bank

Huntington National Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,566 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BAX. LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $460,022,000 after buying an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 263.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC now owns 26,907 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,022,000 after buying an additional 19,500 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 15.4% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,487,000 after acquiring an additional 22,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 29.5% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 41,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,558,000 after acquiring an additional 9,357 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. 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. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.56.

Baxter International Trading Down 8.2 %

NYSE BAX opened at $28.77 on Friday. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $28.34 and a one year high of $42.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.45. The firm has a market cap of $14.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.48, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio 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.