Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on BAX. Barclays initiated coverage on Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $23.00.

Baxter International Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of BAX stock opened at $22.95 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a PE ratio of -16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.65. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $15.73 and a 12-month high of $30.00.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.48% and a negative net margin of 6.23%. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Baxter International will post 2.10 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 27th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -2.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,744,874,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,392,098,000. Equity Investment Corp acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $146,815,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $132,993,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $68,036,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, exceeding the $0.52 analyst consensus, while revenue increased 5% year over year to $2.98 billion and topped expectations of $2.91 billion. Growth was described as broad-based across the company’s segments. Baxter Q3 Earnings Beat on Broad-Based Growth, 2026 Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook, signaling confidence in operating performance despite ongoing pressure on profitability. However, quarterly EPS remained below the $0.69 reported a year earlier. Baxter Raises 2026 Earnings Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for BAX to $25 from $23, implying potential upside from recent trading levels. The firm maintained an “equal weight” rating, suggesting a constructive but cautious view. Wells Fargo Baxter Analyst Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized. The approximately 0.2% yield provides minimal income support but maintains a cash-return program. Baxter Raises Guidance and Declares Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA issued Baxter a warning letter citing CGMP violations. The regulatory action could increase remediation costs, create operational disruptions, and raise concerns about compliance and product quality. Baxter Received FDA Warning Letter

Baxter International Company Profile

Baxter International Inc is a global medical products and healthcare technology company headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. The company develops, manufactures and distributes products used in hospitals, clinics, ambulatory care centers and other healthcare settings.

Baxter’s portfolio has included intravenous therapies and administration systems, infusion pumps, connected-care technologies, surgical products, patient monitoring equipment and products used in medication preparation and delivery.