Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Short Interest Update

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,120,000 shares, an increase of 6.1% from the November 30th total of 12,370,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,160,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BAX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.45.

Baxter International Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE BAX opened at $29.26 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.34 and its 200 day moving average is $34.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.94 billion, a PE ratio of 146.31, a P/E/G ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.57. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $28.33 and a twelve month high of $44.01.

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

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is 340.00%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 0.7% in the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 43,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in Baxter International by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,235 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Baxter International by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Baxter International by 23.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.