Updating Baxter International Inc. and Stanley Black & Decker Inc.

Article Excerpt

BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. $48 (www.baxter.com) makes a variety of medical devices. In July 2015, it spun off its pharmaceutical business Baxalta as a separate company. It later sold its remaining shares in Baxalta for a $1.1 billion gain. The company has used the cash from the sale to pay down its debt; as of June 30, 2016, its long-term debt was $3.2 billion, or a low 13% of its $25.3 billion market cap. Thanks to lower interest costs and savings from a new restructuring plan, Baxter expects its 2016 earnings to rise 24.6% to $1.72 a share. The stock trades at 27.3 times that forecast. That’s a reasonable p/e in light of Baxter’s research spending (6% of revenue) and rising earnings. Buy. STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $124 (www.stanleyblack anddecker.com) is a leading maker of hand and power tools for consumers and industrial users. The company has raised its quarterly dividend by 5.5%, to $0.58 a share from $0.55. The…