Baxter’s restructuring lifts forecast

Article Excerpt

BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. $67 (New York symbol BAX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 534.3 million; Market cap: $35.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.baxter.com) makes a variety of medical devices, including intravenous pumps and kidney-dialysis equipment. The company gets about half of its revenue from outside of the U.S. Due to the rising U.S. dollar, it now expects its revenue will rise 6%. That’s down from its earlier prediction of 7% to 8% growth. However, thanks to savings from a major restructuring plan, which includes job cuts and closing some facilities, Baxter increased its 2018 earnings forecast to $2.97 a share from $2.89. The stock trades at 22.6 times the new estimate. That’s a reasonable multiple, as research spending (about 5% of revenue) hurts current earnings and inflate its p/e. Baxter is a buy. buy…