Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC Trims Stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 6.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,886,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 124,690 shares during the period. Baxter International comprises 1.1% of Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $71,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Entropy Technologies LP grew its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 9.6% during the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 286,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,232,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 150,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,696,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Coho Partners Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter worth $57,229,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Baxter International by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 217,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,263,000 after buying an additional 17,450 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $32.63 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market cap of $16.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 163.16, a PEG ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.60. Baxter International Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.60 and a 12-month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 580.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.91.

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.