Baxter International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BAX)

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 28,850 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 416% compared to the average daily volume of 5,587 put options.

Baxter International Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $19.66 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.84. The company has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.78, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $17.40 and a 1 year high of $37.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $18.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.60.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.38% and a negative net margin of 3.09%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. 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. Analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -6.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BAX shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research upgraded Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Argus cut Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Baxter International by 169.6% during the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 40.1% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,831 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Baxter International by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 160,033 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is 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.