Baxter profits from an aging population

Article Excerpt

BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. $66 (New York symbol BAX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 549.4 million; Market cap: $36.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.baxter.com) makes medical products, such as intravenous pumps and kidney dialysis equipment. It also makes vaccines and drugs. Half of its sales come from single-use products that need to be continually reordered. Demand for the company’s products continues to improve, particularly as an aging population needs more medical devices and drugs. Baxter’s sales rose 23.4%, from $11.3 billion in 2007 to $13.9 billion in 2011. Earnings rose 36.1%, from $1.8 billion in 2007 to $2.5 billion in 2011. The company is an aggressive buyer of its own shares. Because of a 10% drop in the number of shares outstanding, earnings per share jumped 54.5%, from $2.79 to $4.31. Research spending is key to growth A big part of the company’s success comes from its ability to develop new products. Baxter spent a..