Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on BAX. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Baxter International from $25.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $21.40.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $21.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $17.40 and a 1 year high of $37.74.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 138.0% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 2,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Baxter International by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,014 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Baxter International by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 74,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,416,000 after purchasing an additional 8,680 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Baxter International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 391,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,477,000 after buying an additional 35,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 978 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products, pharmaceutical therapies and biotechnology-based solutions. The company’s primary business activities are organized around renal care, medication delivery, acute therapies, pharmacy automation, surgical care and biotechnology. Baxter’s offerings are designed to support patient care in hospitals, dialysis centers, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities worldwide.

In the renal care segment, Baxter provides hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis systems, water treatment equipment and related disposables, including dialyzers, bloodlines and catheters.