Everence Capital Management Inc. Has $599,000 Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)

Everence Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 39.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. CKW Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup lifted their target price on Baxter International from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Baxter International from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Baxter International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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, StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.30.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $39.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $20.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.82 and its 200-day moving average is $38.39. Baxter International Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $50.21.

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

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

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

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.