Baxter International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BAX)

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 13,533 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 85% compared to the typical volume of 7,324 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Baxter International from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Baxter International from $33.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Baxter International from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Baxter International from $35.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Baxter International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.89.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Baxter International during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 169.6% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:BAX opened at $22.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.96. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -76.32, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.58. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $21.33 and a 12 month high of $38.28.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.96% and a negative net margin of 1.42%.The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Baxter International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.620 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.420-2.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -226.67%.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.