Court Place Advisors LLC Has $253,000 Stock Position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Court Place Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 675 shares during the period. Court Place Advisors LLC’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. First PREMIER Bank bought a new position in Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth about $38,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 60.8% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 247.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 2,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $33.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a PE ratio of 167.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.33 and a 52 week high of $44.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $30.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Baxter International’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is 340.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BAX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.45.

Baxter International Company 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.