Gabelli Funds LLC Raises Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 329,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,200 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.06% of Baxter International worth $9,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 50,377,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,469,002,000 after acquiring an additional 5,779,100 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 15,359,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $447,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803,920 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,446,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $362,006,000 after purchasing an additional 290,279 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,548,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $74,306,000 after buying an additional 662,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,450,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.56.

Baxter International Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE BAX opened at $27.86 on Thursday. Baxter International Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.25 and a 52 week high of $41.18. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.77. 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 cap of $14.29 billion, a PE ratio of -21.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.64.

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 business had revenue of $2.75 billion during 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -53.13%.

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.