Jacobs & Co. CA Has $215,000 Stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Jacobs & Co. CA trimmed its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 437 shares during the quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Baxter International by 6.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Baxter International by 23.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its stake 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 worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First PREMIER Bank acquired a new position in Baxter International during the third quarter worth $25,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Trading Down 0.9 %

Baxter International stock traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $29.33. The stock had a trading volume of 3,426,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,812,032. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a PE ratio of 146.66, a P/E/G ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $44.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.