Zacks Research Issues Negative Estimate for BAX Earnings

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Baxter International in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $0.59 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.60. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $2.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s FY2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.38% and a negative net margin of 3.09%.The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. Baxter International’s 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.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Argus lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.40.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX opened at $19.84 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $17.40 and a 52-week high of $37.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.11. The company has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of -30.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.59.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Baxter International by 169.6% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 14.4% in the third 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 period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 0.6% during 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 buying an additional 993 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

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

More Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged some forward estimates up — small raises to Q3 2027 and FY2027 EPS expectations (Q3 2027 to $0.71; FY2027 to $2.50) could be read as modestly constructive for long‑term earnings visibility. Zacks Research estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter announced a conference call to present fourth‑quarter 2025 financial results — this is a standard investor event but is a near‑term catalyst where management can clarify outlook, margins and cost actions. Baxter to Host Fourth-Quarter 2025 Financial Results Conference Call for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch notes Baxter has underperformed peers despite some daily gains — highlights relative weakness that may keep investor caution elevated until clearer earnings/strategy signals appear. MarketWatch performance note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Baxter to a “Strong Sell” and cut several near‑term EPS forecasts (reductions to Q3/Q4 2026 and FY2026 estimates reported), signaling weaker near‑term profit expectations and exerting downward pressure on sentiment. Zacks downgrade and estimate cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus has shifted toward “Reduce”/“Reduce”‑type recommendations (average recommendation reported as “Reduce”), reflecting broad sell‑side caution that can increase selling pressure and weigh on the stock until clearer positive catalysts emerge. Average recommendation “Reduce”

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.