Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Trading Down 5.2% Following Analyst Downgrade

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX)’s share price traded down 5.2% on Tuesday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The company traded as low as $21.16 and last traded at $21.4030. Approximately 702,263 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 8,458,267 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.57.

BAX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Baxter International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Baxter International from $22.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reduced their target price on Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Baxter International from $17.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.91.

Key Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Baxter to $21 from $19, indicating a somewhat better outlook even though the firm kept a neutral rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Technical coverage noted a golden cross in Baxter’s chart, which may support buying interest from traders focused on trend signals. AbbVie vs Baxter: One Golden Cross Is Real, One Is a Trap
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter announced updates to its segment reporting structure and metrics, but the headline appears mainly operational and not clearly tied to a major earnings or guidance change. Baxter International Updates Segment Reporting Structure and Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut earnings estimates across multiple periods, including FY2026, FY2027, and Q2/Q3 2026, signaling softer profit expectations for Baxter International (NYSE: BAX). Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also downgraded Baxter from hold to strong sell, reinforcing a more cautious view on the stock. Zacks.com

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Greenhaven Associates Inc. grew its position in Baxter International by 70.0% in the fourth quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 10,693,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $204,347,000 after acquiring an additional 4,404,874 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 477.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,725,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,970,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,547 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,510,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $257,174,000 after purchasing an additional 972,891 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 95.6% in the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 258,062 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,542,000 after purchasing an additional 126,104 shares during the period. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 3,328,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $63,602,000 after purchasing an additional 356,612 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $20.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.62. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 negative net margin of 9.70% and a positive return on equity of 16.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. Analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

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

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.