Spinoff Spotlight: Baxter International

Article Excerpt

BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. $36 is a buy. The company (New York symbol BAX; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 510.2 million; Market cap: $18.4 billion; Dividend yield: 3.2%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.baxter.com) has agreed to sell its Renal Care and Acute Therapies unit to investment firm Carlyle Group Inc. (New York symbol CG). Called Vantive, that business makes kidney dialysis machines and related equipment; it accounts for 30% of Baxter’s total revenue. The company originally planned to hand out shares in Vantive to its own shareholders later this year, but it has now opted for a sale. Baxter will receive $3.8 billion for Vantive when it completes the transaction in late 2024 or early 2025. It will use the cash to pay down its long-term debt of $10.44 billion, which is equal to 57% of its market cap. As a result of this sale and others in the past year, Baxter now focuses on specialized equipment for hospitals, including intensive-care-unit beds, operating tables, patient monitoring equipment and electronic…