Equity Investment Corp Makes New Investment in Baxter International Inc. $BAX

Key Points

• Equity Investment Corp established a new Baxter International position of 6.89 million shares worth approximately $146.8 million, representing 1.33% of BAX and 2.8% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Baxter exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.56 EPS versus the $0.37 consensus and $2.96 billion in revenue, up 5.3% year over year; full-year 2026 EPS guidance is $1.95–$2.15.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $22.45 price target, while BAX recently traded at $25.98; the company also declared a $0.01 quarterly dividend.

Equity Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,886,265 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $146,815,000. Baxter International makes up 2.8% of Equity Investment Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Equity Investment Corp owned approximately 1.33% of Baxter International at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BAX. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Baxter International in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,043 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Price Performance

Baxter International stock opened at $25.98 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $13.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.55, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.27 and a 200-day moving average of $20.22. Baxter International Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.73 and a 1 year high of $30.00.

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

Baxter International Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BAX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised Baxter International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.

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