Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.850-2.050 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.930. The company issued revenue guidance of $11.2 billion-$11.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.3 billion.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX traded up $0.08 on Thursday, hitting $17.32. 5,439,814 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,843,067. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $18.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.69. Baxter International has a one year low of $15.73 and a one year high of $32.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.36, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.62.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.95% and a negative net margin of 8.51%.The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -2.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.80.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Baxter International during the second quarter worth about $46,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new stake in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 113.3% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,971 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Company Profile

Baxter International Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products, pharmaceutical therapies and biotechnology-based solutions. The company’s primary business activities are organized around renal care, medication delivery, acute therapies, pharmacy automation, surgical care and biotechnology. Baxter’s offerings are designed to support patient care in hospitals, dialysis centers, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities worldwide.

In the renal care segment, Baxter provides hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis systems, water treatment equipment and related disposables, including dialyzers, bloodlines and catheters.