Q4 EPS Forecast for Baxter International Boosted by Analyst

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Baxter International in a note issued to investors on Monday, September 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $0.62 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.60. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $2.04 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s Q3 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.15 EPS.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 16.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on BAX. Weiss Ratings upgraded Baxter International from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Citigroup raised Baxter International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $17.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.45.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $24.47 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $15.73 and a 1 year high of $30.00.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is -1.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the second quarter valued at about $1,744,874,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,392,098,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Baxter International by 2,009.1% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 12,720,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $271,198,000 after buying an additional 12,117,222 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp acquired a new stake in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $146,815,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $132,993,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several earnings estimates. Forecasts increased for Q3 2026 EPS to $0.53 from $0.50, FY2026 EPS to $2.06 from $2.02, and FY2027 EPS to $2.07 from $2.00. Estimates for multiple 2027 and 2028 quarters were also raised, signaling somewhat better expected profitability. Baxter International analyst estimate updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the Wells Fargo 21st Annual Healthcare Conference. The transcript may provide additional context on Baxter’s strategy and operating outlook, but the provided information does not identify a major new announcement, change to guidance, or catalyst. Baxter International Wells Fargo healthcare conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Technical signals point to limited near-term upside. A report described BAX as trading sideways, suggesting investors may be waiting for a stronger fundamental catalyst before bidding the shares higher. Baxter International technical outlook
• Negative Sentiment: BAX underperformed competing stocks. Relative weakness versus peers can pressure investor sentiment, particularly when the broader medical-instruments group is performing better. Baxter International peer performance

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.