DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) today announced a quarterly cash dividend and an expanded authorization for its share repurchase program.
The Board of Directors of Baxter has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per share of common stock, payable on April 2, 2018, to stockholders of record as of March 2, 2018. The indicated annual dividend rate is $0.64 per share of common stock.
Baxter’s Board of Directors also has approved a $1.5 billion increase in authorization for the company’s existing share repurchase plan. Based on these actions, the share repurchase plan has approximately $2.3 billion of repurchase authority available as of the date hereof to make repurchases pursuant to existing Rule 10b5-1 plans or otherwise. Shares will be repurchased in the open market or through private transactions at times and amounts determined by the company based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors.
“Over the last two years, Baxter has significantly improved its cash generation, allowing the company to enhance investments in the business to drive growth while also returning capital to shareholders through increased dividends and share repurchases,” said Jay Saccaro, Baxter’s chief financial officer.
About Baxter
Baxter provides a broad portfolio of essential healthcare products across its portfolio, including acute and chronic dialysis therapies; sterile IV solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; inhaled anesthetics; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; and surgical hemostat and sealant products. The company’s global footprint and the critical nature of its products and services play a key role in expanding access to healthcare in emerging and developed countries. Baxter’s employees worldwide are building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of healthcare innovations that enable patient care.
This release includes forward-looking statements concerning Baxter's dividend and potential share repurchase activity. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: continued strength in the company’s financial position, including cash flows; alternative uses of funds including, but not limited to dividends, share repurchases, business development transactions and other investments in the company’s businesses; and other risks identified in the company's most recent filing on Form 10-K and other SEC filings, all of which are available on Baxter’s website. Baxter does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
