Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Stock Has Average Target Price of $21.73

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.27.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $20.00 target price for the company.

Baxter International Stock Down 7.8%

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $23.48 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $24.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.35. The stock has a market cap of $12.14 billion, a PE ratio of -11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $15.73 and a 52-week high of $30.00.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.91 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.57% and a negative net margin of 9.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, above analysts’ estimates of approximately $0.51–$0.52, while revenue reached $2.98 billion versus the $2.91 billion consensus. Sales increased 5% from the prior year. Baxter International Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook, citing broad-based segment growth despite ongoing margin pressure. The improved guidance is a positive signal for future earnings and cash generation. Baxter Q3 Earnings Beat on Broad-Based Growth, 2026 Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Baxter declared its quarterly dividend alongside the results, maintaining shareholder returns while reporting a profitable quarter. Baxter Raises 2026 Guidance and Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call and financial schedules provide additional detail on segment performance, the updated outlook and the company’s plans to address margin pressure. Baxter Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Although earnings exceeded expectations, quarterly EPS fell from $0.69 a year earlier to $0.58. Continued margin pressure and Baxter’s negative net margin remain concerns for investors. Baxter Reports Third-Quarter Results

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. One Way Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth $588,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Baxter International by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 30,529 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,173,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 101,805 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,443,000 after buying an additional 8,065 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth $236,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Company Profile

Baxter International Inc is a global medical products and healthcare technology company headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. The company develops, manufactures and distributes products used in hospitals, clinics, ambulatory care centers and other healthcare settings.

Baxter’s portfolio has included intravenous therapies and administration systems, infusion pumps, connected-care technologies, surgical products, patient monitoring equipment and products used in medication preparation and delivery.