Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for BAX

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Baxter International in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $0.38 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.36. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $1.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s FY2028 earnings at $2.14 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on BAX. Wall Street Zen downgraded Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Baxter International from $22.00 to $20.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Friday, May 15th. Evercore lowered their target price on 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, Citigroup lowered their target price on Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.91.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock opened at $19.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a PE ratio of -9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.62. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $15.73 and a 12-month high of $32.04. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $17.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.73.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.15% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.The company’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 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in Baxter International by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 57,396,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,306,915,000 after purchasing an additional 5,274,750 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,510,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $257,174,000 after acquiring an additional 972,891 shares in the last quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 70.0% during the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 10,693,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $204,347,000 after acquiring an additional 4,404,874 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $231,304,000 after acquiring an additional 97,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Baxter International by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,410,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $65,216,000 after acquiring an additional 894,761 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -1.88%.

Key Stories Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter’s shares are showing signs of a technical bottoming pattern after a steep healthcare-sector selloff, which could attract short-term buyers looking for a rebound. Baxter Stock Is Testing a Bottom After Healthcare Sector Decimation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised some near- and medium-term earnings estimates, including Q1 2028, Q4 2026, and Q2 2027, suggesting expectations for parts of Baxter’s earnings outlook are improving.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite those higher estimates in a few periods, Zacks still maintains a “Strong Sell” rating on Baxter, so the broader analyst stance remains cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut estimates for several key periods, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, FY2026, Q3 2027, and FY2027, reinforcing concerns that earnings momentum may remain uneven.
• Negative Sentiment: The latest round of revisions keeps Baxter’s FY2026 forecast below the current consensus, which may weigh on sentiment if investors focus on softer near-term profitability.

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.