Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Baxter International currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $21.40.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $20.19. 1,739,892 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,427,396. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $17.40 and a 52 week high of $37.74. The stock has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $19.12 and its 200-day moving average is $22.19.

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

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is -6.06%.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Baxter International during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Baxter International by 169.6% during the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the period. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.