Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Key Points

• Barclays raised its price target to $27 (from $25), implying roughly a 56% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Baxter beat Q1 estimates — $2.70B in revenue and $0.36 EPS versus consensus $2.62B and $0.31 — but margins contracted and EPS declined year‑over‑year.
• Despite the beat, analysts remain cautious: MarketBeat's consensus rating is Reduce with an average price target of $19.91, while shares trade around $17.26.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Barclays from $25.00 to $27.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 56.48% from the stock's previous close.

BAX has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $19.91.

Baxter International Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of BAX opened at $17.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.33, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 1.56. Baxter International has a one year low of $15.73 and a one year high of $32.68. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $17.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.18.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 15.65% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Baxter International will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 28.9% during the first quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 60,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 13,562 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 95.6% in the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 258,062 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,542,000 after purchasing an additional 126,104 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in Baxter International by 99.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 111,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,245,000 after buying an additional 55,674 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 15,968 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,410,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $65,216,000 after buying an additional 894,761 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company's stock.

More Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on revenue and EPS — Baxter reported $0.36 EPS vs. consensus $0.31 and $2.70B in revenue (vs. $2.62B expected); top-line growth was driven by strong demand in its medical products & therapies unit. Baxter beats quarterly expectations on strong demand for medical devices
• Positive Sentiment: Overseas sales and segment strength supported the beat and were singled out on the call/presentation, which helped push shares higher initially. Baxter International Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated its 2026 growth views and emphasized execution improvements—this supports forward confidence but may not be enough to offset near-term margin concerns. Baxter Posts 1Q Loss, Backs 2026 Growth Views
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend update: Baxter declared a token quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share (annualized yield ~0.2%); modest cash return that is unlikely to drive significant share moves. (No link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for investors who want granular guidance and margin commentary. Baxter International Inc. (BAX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Margins contracted and net income metrics remain weak — EPS declined year-over-year (from $0.62 to $0.36) and commentary noted margin pressure, which caps enthusiasm despite the beat. BAX Stock Gains on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat, Margins Contract
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore cut its price target for BAX (while keeping an Outperform rating), signaling analyst caution and likely weighing on the stock. Evercore Cuts Baxter (BAX) Price Target, Keeps Outperform Rating

Baxter International Company Profile

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.

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