Empowered Funds LLC Takes Position in Baxter International Inc. $BAX

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 58,161 shares of Baxter International during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.24 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.19% of the company.
• Baxter reported quarterly EPS of $0.56, beating estimates of $0.37, while revenue reached $2.96 billion and increased 5.3% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $1.95–$2.15.
• Analysts have generally maintained a cautious stance, with the stock carrying an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $22.45, below its reported $25.81 share price.

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 58,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,240,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Baxter International by 3.2% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,436 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,588,000 after buying an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 649,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $19,666,000 after acquiring an additional 18,439 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $231,304,000 after purchasing an additional 97,687 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 21.4% during the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 24,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Baxter International by 5.5% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 2,813 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $25.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $13.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.47, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $24.73 and its 200-day moving average is $20.72. Baxter International Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.73 and a 12 month high of $30.00.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.57% and a negative net margin of 9.27%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th will be given a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BAX. Citigroup raised shares of Baxter International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research raised Baxter International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.45.

Baxter International 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.

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.