Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives $22.45 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.4545.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BAX shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Baxter International from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,744,874,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,392,098,000. Equity Investment Corp bought a new position in Baxter International during the second quarter worth $146,815,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Baxter International during the second quarter worth $68,036,000. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the second quarter worth $51,958,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $26.66 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.02 and its 200 day moving average is $20.13. Baxter International has a one year low of $15.73 and a one year high of $30.00. The firm has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 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 (NYSE:BAX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 16.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

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

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.