Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $22.45 Average PT from Brokerages

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.4545.

BAX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $27.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a PE ratio of -13.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $15.73 and a 52 week high of $30.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.09.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.57% and a negative net margin of 9.27%.The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -1.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the second quarter worth about $2,196,000. Cibc World Market Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $402,000. Barbara Oil Co. purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $853,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $17,498,000. Finally, Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,663,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

About Baxter International

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.