Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Baxter International (NYSE:BAX)

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 32,577 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 249% compared to the typical volume of 9,335 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 169.6% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of Baxter International stock traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $18.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,084,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,831,981. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -60.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $17.40 and a 1 year high of $37.74.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.96% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Baxter International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.520-0.570 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.350-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -6.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on BAX. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $19.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Zacks Research lowered Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Baxter International from $33.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $23.70.

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.