Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 9,940 Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 39.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 9,940 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 3,748.2% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,099 shares during the last quarter. CKW Financial Group bought a new stake in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in Baxter International by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,170,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,258,000 after buying an additional 373,409 shares during the last quarter. Tobam lifted its position in Baxter International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 344,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,314,000 after buying an additional 3,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX stock opened at $39.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $20.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.57, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $41.82 and its 200 day moving average is $38.39. Baxter International Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.01 and a twelve month high of $50.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

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

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Baxter International from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.30.

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.