Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Upgraded by Citigroup to Neutral Rating

Citigroup upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report published on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $28.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock, up from their previous price target of $17.00.

BAX has been the topic of several other reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $22.45.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock opened at $26.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.66, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.62. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $15.73 and a twelve month high of $30.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 16.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th will be given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Baxter International by 552.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Baxter International

Here are the key news stories impacting Baxter International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter results: Baxter reported adjusted earnings of $0.56 per share, well above the $0.36–$0.37 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $2.96 billion versus expectations near $2.80 billion. Growth was supported by demand for IV solutions and drug-compounding products. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Management increased full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $1.95–$2.15 from its prior range of $1.85–$2.05 and projected revenue of $11.6 billion–$11.7 billion, above the roughly $11.4 billion consensus. The update reflected operating momentum and an additional tariff refund benefit. Baxter second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: More favorable analyst stance: Citigroup upgraded BAX from “sell” to “neutral” and raised its price target to $28 from $17, indicating that the turnaround and recovery outlook have improved.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo remains cautious: Wells Fargo raised its target to $23 from $19 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The new target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, highlighting valuation concerns despite better fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is August 28, with payment scheduled for October 1.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and margin concerns: Shares had surged following the earnings beat and guidance increase, and the subsequent pullback may reflect profit-taking. Adjusted earnings still declined from $0.59 per share a year earlier, while margin pressure, tariffs, manufacturing costs and Baxter’s negative net margin remain risks.

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.