Baxter International - BAX Stock Forecast, Price & News

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company offers peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis, and additional dialysis therapies and services; intravenous therapies, infusion pumps, administration sets, and drug reconstitution devices; remixed and oncology drug platforms, inhaled anesthesia and critical care products and pharmacy compounding services; parenteral nutrition therapies and related products; biological products and medical devices used in surgical procedures for hemostasis, tissue sealing and adhesion prevention; and continuous renal replacement therapies and other organ support therapies focused in the intensive care unit. It also provides connected care solutions, including devices, software, communications, and integration technologies; integrated patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies to help diagnose, treat, and manage a various illness and diseases, including respiratory therapy, cardiology, vision screening, and physical assessment; surgical video technologies, tables, lights, pendants, precision positioning devices and other accessories. In addition, the company offers contracted services to various pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Its products are used in hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, and patients at home under physician supervision. The company sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent distributors, drug wholesalers, and specialty pharmacy or other alternate site providers in approximately 100 countries. It has an agreement with Celerity Pharmaceutical, LLC to develop acute care generic injectable premix and oncolytic molecules. Baxter International Inc. was incorporated in 1931 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "sell" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Baxter International from $86.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Baxter International from $85.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, July 18th. Cowen dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $95.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Friday, July 29th. Finally, TheStreet cut Baxter International from a "b-" rating to a "c" rating in a report on Thursday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.29.

Baxter International Stock Performance

BAX traded down $0.49 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.22. 47,705 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,271,772. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.61. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $57.49 and a 1 year high of $89.70. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $65.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX - Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 28th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.87. Baxter International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. Baxter International's revenue was up 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Baxter International will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 1st. Baxter International's payout ratio is 58.00%.