JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan lowered Baxter International’s price target from $26 to $25 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying approximately 8.9% upside from the cited $22.95 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Baxter has one Buy, 11 Hold, and three Sell ratings, with a MarketBeat average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $23.
• Baxter exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.58 in EPS and $2.98 billion in revenue, but profitability remains pressured and an FDA warning letter citing manufacturing violations adds regulatory risk.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective suggests a potential upside of 8.93% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on BAX. Zacks Research raised shares of Baxter International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Baxter International in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Baxter International from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $23.00.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of Baxter International stock traded down $0.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $22.95. 11,809,880 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,841,937. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $15.73 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion for 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%. Baxter International's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its position in Baxter International by 52.4% in the 2nd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 2,153 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 552.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at about $605,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, exceeding the $0.52 analyst consensus, while revenue increased 5% year over year to $2.98 billion and topped expectations of $2.91 billion. Growth was described as broad-based across the company’s segments. Baxter Q3 Earnings Beat on Broad-Based Growth, 2026 Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook, signaling confidence in operating performance despite ongoing pressure on profitability. However, quarterly EPS remained below the $0.69 reported a year earlier. Baxter Raises 2026 Earnings Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target for BAX to $25 from $23, implying potential upside from recent trading levels. The firm maintained an “equal weight” rating, suggesting a constructive but cautious view. Wells Fargo Baxter Analyst Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized. The approximately 0.2% yield provides minimal income support but maintains a cash-return program. Baxter Raises Guidance and Declares Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA issued Baxter a warning letter citing CGMP violations. The regulatory action could increase remediation costs, create operational disruptions, and raise concerns about compliance and product quality. Baxter Received FDA Warning Letter

About Baxter International

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.