Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for BAX Q1 Earnings

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Baxter International in a report issued on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $0.35 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.47. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $2.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.44 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.93 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.12 EPS.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on BAX. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Baxter International from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Two research 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 MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.10.

Baxter International Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE:BAX opened at $18.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.20 and its 200-day moving average is $20.91. The firm has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.58. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $17.40 and a 12 month high of $37.74.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Baxter International in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Baxter International during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

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

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.