Greenleaf Trust Sells 1,789 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Greenleaf Trust lessened its position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,789 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. CKW Financial Group purchased a new position in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.30.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $41.03 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of 7.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.62. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $50.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 17.77% and a return on equity of 19.49%. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

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.