Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on BAX. UBS Group cut their target price on Baxter International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on Baxter International from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $21.40.

Baxter International Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE BAX traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $20.16. 1,918,360 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,427,396. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.19. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $17.40 and a 12 month high of $37.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 3.09% and a positive return on equity of 17.38%. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. Baxter International’s quarterly revenue 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 and its FY 2025 guidance at 2.350-2.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BAX. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 24.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,326 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 159,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,816,000 after acquiring an additional 2,226 shares in the last quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Baxter International by 39.9% in the second quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in Baxter International by 1.8% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 183,276 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,576,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 82.2% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.