Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Baxter International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Baxter International from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.50.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BAX traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $19.03. 1,265,522 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,887,613. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.97. The company has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $17.40 and a 52-week high of $37.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 3.09% and a positive return on equity of 17.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -6.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 10.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 5,274,750 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Baxter International by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,882,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $388,416,000 after purchasing an additional 326,652 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $231,304,000 after purchasing an additional 97,687 shares during the period. Greenhaven Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $143,186,000. Finally, 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 valued at $57,243,000 after purchasing an additional 615,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.