Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $16.97 and last traded at $17.0250, with a volume of 4379507 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BAX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their target price on Baxter International from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.90.

Baxter International Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a PE ratio of -9.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 8.51% and a positive return on equity of 16.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -2.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Baxter International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Baxter International during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors 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.