Baxter International (BAX) Competitors

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) and AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE:AMN) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Is BAX or AMN more profitable?

Baxter International has a net margin of -1.42% compared to AMN Healthcare Services' net margin of -10.75%. Baxter International's return on equity of 16.96% beat AMN Healthcare Services' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Baxter International	-1.42%	16.96%	5.24%
AMN Healthcare Services	-10.75%	11.09%	3.34%

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, BAX or AMN?

AMN Healthcare Services has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Baxter International. Baxter International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AMN Healthcare Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Baxter International	$10.64B	1.17	-$649M	-$0.30	-80.51
AMN Healthcare Services	$2.98B	0.24	-$146.98M	-$7.77	-2.43

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of BAX or AMN?

90.2% of Baxter International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.2% of AMN Healthcare Services shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Baxter International shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of AMN Healthcare Services shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media prefer BAX or AMN?

In the previous week, AMN Healthcare Services had 16 more articles in the media than Baxter International. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for AMN Healthcare Services and 5 mentions for Baxter International. AMN Healthcare Services' average media sentiment score of 0.49 beat Baxter International's score of 0.18 indicating that AMN Healthcare Services is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Baxter International	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
AMN Healthcare Services	5 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility and risk, BAX or AMN?

Baxter International has a beta of 0.59, indicating that its share price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AMN Healthcare Services has a beta of 0.1, indicating that its share price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer BAX or AMN?

Baxter International currently has a consensus target price of $30.11, indicating a potential upside of 24.67%. AMN Healthcare Services has a consensus target price of $28.25, indicating a potential upside of 49.77%. Given AMN Healthcare Services' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe AMN Healthcare Services is more favorable than Baxter International.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Baxter International	1 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20
AMN Healthcare Services	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Summary

AMN Healthcare Services beats Baxter International on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.