Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Sold by Coho Partners Ltd.

Coho Partners Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 23.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,148,034 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 359,181 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $33,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BAX. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,160,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $33,845,000 after buying an additional 21,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after acquiring an additional 170,776 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 213.5% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 23,192 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $881,000 after purchasing an additional 15,794 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 15.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,487,000 after purchasing an additional 22,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 97,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 9,054 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.44.

Baxter International Price Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $30.60 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $30.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.32. The firm has a market cap of $15.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 152.99, a PEG ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $44.01. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.00%.

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.