Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.17

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 11th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.17 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

Baxter International has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 1.4% annually over the last three years. Baxter International has a dividend payout ratio of 25.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Baxter International to earn $2.47 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.5%.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock opened at $30.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $30.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.35. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $44.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.46, a PEG ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.44.

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.