Handelsbanken Fonder AB Lowers Stock Holdings in Baxter International Inc. $BAX

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its Baxter International stake by 45.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 114,328 shares and leaving it with 135,500 shares worth about $2.59 million.
• Baxter reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.36 versus the $0.31 estimate and revenue of $2.70 billion versus $2.62 billion expected. Revenue rose 2.9% year over year, though net margin remained negative.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock carries a consensus “Reduce” rating and a target price near $19.91, while recent rating actions included downgrades from Zacks and others despite some modest target-price increases.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) by 45.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 135,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 114,328 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Baxter International were worth $2,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 10.1% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 57,396,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,306,915,000 after buying an additional 5,274,750 shares in the last quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 70.0% in the fourth quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 10,693,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $204,347,000 after buying an additional 4,404,874 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% in the second 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 during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 32.4% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,515,928 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,243,000 after purchasing an additional 615,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 25.7% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,200,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $50,114,000 after purchasing an additional 450,350 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $19.19 on Monday. Baxter International Inc. has a one year low of $15.73 and a one year high of $32.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $17.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.01, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.62.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.70% and a positive return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Baxter International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.88%.

Baxter International News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter’s shares are showing signs of a technical bottoming pattern after a steep healthcare-sector selloff, which could attract short-term buyers looking for a rebound. Baxter Stock Is Testing a Bottom After Healthcare Sector Decimation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised some near- and medium-term earnings estimates, including Q1 2028, Q4 2026, and Q2 2027, suggesting expectations for parts of Baxter’s earnings outlook are improving.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite those higher estimates in a few periods, Zacks still maintains a “Strong Sell” rating on Baxter, so the broader analyst stance remains cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut estimates for several key periods, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, FY2026, Q3 2027, and FY2027, reinforcing concerns that earnings momentum may remain uneven.
• Negative Sentiment: The latest round of revisions keeps Baxter’s FY2026 forecast below the current consensus, which may weigh on sentiment if investors focus on softer near-term profitability.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BAX shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Baxter International from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $17.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $19.91.

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.

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.