Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Baxter International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays dropped their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.40.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $20.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a PE ratio of -30.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.59. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.03 and a 200-day moving average of $22.43. Baxter International has a one year low of $17.40 and a one year high of $37.74.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were given 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 was Friday, November 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -6.06%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Greenhaven Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $143,186,000. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in Baxter International by 10.1% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 57,396,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,306,915,000 after buying an additional 5,274,750 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 477.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,725,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,970,000 after buying an additional 1,426,547 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,515,928 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,243,000 after acquiring an additional 615,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 25.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,200,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $50,114,000 after acquiring an additional 450,350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.