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

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.4545.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $24.47 on Friday. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $15.73 and a 1 year high of $30.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $24.93 and a 200 day moving average of $20.80. The stock has a market cap of $12.65 billion, a P/E 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 (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.57% and a negative net margin of 9.27%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -1.93%.

More Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several earnings forecasts. The firm increased its Q3 2026 estimate to $0.53 from $0.50, FY2026 to $2.06 from $2.02, Q1 2027 to $0.45 from $0.42, Q2 2027 to $0.50 from $0.47, FY2027 to $2.07 from $2.00, Q1 2028 to $0.43 from $0.42 and Q2 2028 to $0.52 from $0.51. The upgrades suggest somewhat better expected profitability for Baxter’s medical-products business. MarketBeat Baxter International analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter presented at the Wells Fargo 21st Annual Healthcare Conference. The event gives investors an opportunity to assess management’s outlook and business priorities, although the provided transcript headline does not identify a specific new catalyst or change to guidance. Baxter Wells Fargo healthcare conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: The analyst stance remains cautious. Despite the higher estimates, Zacks Research maintained a “Hold” rating, limiting the bullish impact of the revisions. The updated FY2026 forecast of $2.06 is only modestly above the broader consensus estimate of $2.04.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical trading signals point to limited upside. Recent coverage described BAX as trading sideways, with indicators suggesting constrained near-term appreciation potential. The stock also underperformed its competitors in the latest session, which may have encouraged profit-taking or relative-value selling. Baxter International technical signals article Baxter International performance versus competitors

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

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

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.