Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Price

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $17.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.45.

Baxter International Stock Down 2.1%

NYSE BAX opened at $26.20 on Friday. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $15.73 and a twelve month high of $30.00. The stock has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a PE ratio of -12.66, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.40% and a negative net margin of 9.27%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th 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, August 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Baxter International in the second quarter valued at $46,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International during the fourth quarter worth $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 acquiring an additional 2,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter results: Baxter reported adjusted earnings of $0.56 per share, well above the $0.36–$0.37 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $2.96 billion versus expectations near $2.80 billion. Growth was supported by demand for IV solutions and drug-compounding products. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Management increased full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $1.95–$2.15 from its prior range of $1.85–$2.05 and projected revenue of $11.6 billion–$11.7 billion, above the roughly $11.4 billion consensus. The update reflected operating momentum and an additional tariff refund benefit. Baxter second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: More favorable analyst stance: Citigroup upgraded BAX from “sell” to “neutral” and raised its price target to $28 from $17, indicating that the turnaround and recovery outlook have improved.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo remains cautious: Wells Fargo raised its target to $23 from $19 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The new target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, highlighting valuation concerns despite better fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is August 28, with payment scheduled for October 1.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and margin concerns: Shares had surged following the earnings beat and guidance increase, and the subsequent pullback may reflect profit-taking. Adjusted earnings still declined from $0.59 per share a year earlier, while margin pressure, tariffs, manufacturing costs and Baxter’s negative net margin remain risks.

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.