Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for BAX

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 2027 EPS estimate for Baxter International to $0.38 from $0.36, but it still keeps a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock.
• Other analysts remain cautious overall: several firms trimmed price targets, and MarketBeat data shows Baxter’s average rating is “Reduce” with an average price target of $19.91.
• Baxter recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.36 EPS on $2.70 billion in revenue, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share payable July 1.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Baxter International in a report issued on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $0.38 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.36. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International's current full-year earnings is $1.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International's FY2028 earnings at $2.14 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on BAX. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Baxter International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Evercore lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $19.91.

Baxter International Stock Performance

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

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.15% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in 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 valued at $50,114,000 after purchasing an additional 450,350 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in 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 valued at $57,243,000 after purchasing an additional 615,100 shares during the period. Greenhaven Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $143,186,000. DNB Asset Management AS raised its position in Baxter International by 304.7% in the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 398,118 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $9,065,000 after purchasing an additional 299,750 shares during the period. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $2,128,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Baxter International

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.

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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