Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

BAX has been the topic of several other research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $39.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.73.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of BAX opened at $39.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.06 billion, a PE ratio of 7.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $36.88 and its 200 day moving average is $37.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.40. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Baxter International had a net margin of 16.51% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The business’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BAX. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. bought a new stake in Baxter International during the 4th quarter valued at $232,000. S&CO Inc. bought a new stake in Baxter International during the 4th quarter valued at $1,308,000. United Community Bank purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Carmignac Gestion raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 5,311,012 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,324,000 after acquiring an additional 462,239 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.