Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has received an average rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $19.9091.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup downgraded Baxter International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the third quarter worth $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter worth $46,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 552.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX opened at $23.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $20.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.33. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $15.73 and a 52 week high of $29.35.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.62 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.15% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1.88%.

Key Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Baxter International to $21 from $19, signaling somewhat improved valuation expectations even though the firm kept a neutral rating. Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Given New $21.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group
• Neutral Sentiment: News also highlighted that Baxter’s chart has formed a golden cross, a technical signal some traders view as constructive for near-term momentum. AbbVie vs Baxter: One Golden Cross Is Real, One Is a Trap
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its earnings estimates for Baxter across multiple periods, including Q2 2026, FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028, while also downgrading the stock to Strong Sell, which suggests concerns about profit growth. Zacks.com downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter also updated its segment reporting structure and metrics, but the filing did not appear to include a major operating surprise. Baxter International Updates Segment Reporting Structure and Metrics

About Baxter International

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.