Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Baxter International Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from eleven analysts, with two sell ratings, six holds, and three buy recommendations.
• The company reported earnings of $0.59 per share for the last quarter, slightly missing analysts' estimates and showing a revenue increase of 4.3% year-over-year.
• Institutional investors own approximately 90.19% of Baxter International's stock, with significant increases in stakes from firms like Dodge & Cox and ARGA Investment Management.

Shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $28.8889.

BAX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Baxter International from $35.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 51,458,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,761,439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081,631 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 52.5% in the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 1,327,946 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,456,000 after buying an additional 457,345 shares during the period. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 13.7% in the first quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT now owns 2,825,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $96,731,000 after buying an additional 341,321 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 2.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,882,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $388,416,000 after buying an additional 326,652 shares during the period. Finally, Parkwood LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,459,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $22.80 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $21.33 and a 1-year high of $37.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.57. The stock has a market cap of $11.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -75.98, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.58.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 1.42% and a positive return on equity of 16.96%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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