Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $17.74 and last traded at $17.9860, with a volume of 11712400 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Baxter International from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $23.70.

Baxter International Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.69. The company has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.58.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.96% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Baxter International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.520-0.570 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.350-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in Baxter International by 1.3% in the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 52,121,620 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,578,243,000 after purchasing an additional 662,695 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 2.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,882,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $388,416,000 after purchasing an additional 326,652 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Baxter International by 1.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $231,304,000 after purchasing an additional 97,687 shares during the period. Greenhaven Associates Inc. bought a new position in Baxter International in the third quarter worth $143,186,000. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lifted its position in Baxter International by 13.7% in the first quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT now owns 2,825,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,731,000 after purchasing an additional 341,321 shares during the period. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.