Coho Partners Ltd. Has $33.48 Million Stock Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Coho Partners Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,148,034 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 359,181 shares during the period. Coho Partners Ltd. owned approximately 0.22% of Baxter International worth $33,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,160,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,845,000 after purchasing an additional 21,592 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Baxter International by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after buying an additional 170,776 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in shares of 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. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 15.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,487,000 after purchasing an additional 22,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 97,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 9,054 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of BAX stock opened at $30.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 152.99, a PEG ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $28.33 and a one year high of $44.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $30.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.44.

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.