Analysts Set Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) PT at $21.40

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.40.

BAX has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Baxter International from $25.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st.

Baxter International Stock Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $19.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $19.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of -30.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $17.40 and a 12-month high of $37.74.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.38% and a negative net margin of 3.09%.Baxter International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Baxter International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.520-0.570 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 2.350-2.400 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -6.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 24.6% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,326 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in Baxter International by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 159,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,816,000 after buying an additional 2,226 shares during the last quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 39.9% in the 2nd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 2,395 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.8% during the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 183,276 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,576,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 82.2% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 1,445 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged some forward estimates up — small raises to Q3 2027 and FY2027 EPS expectations (Q3 2027 to $0.71; FY2027 to $2.50) could be read as modestly constructive for long‑term earnings visibility. Zacks Research estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter announced a conference call to present fourth‑quarter 2025 financial results — this is a standard investor event but is a near‑term catalyst where management can clarify outlook, margins and cost actions. Baxter to Host Fourth-Quarter 2025 Financial Results Conference Call for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch notes Baxter has underperformed peers despite some daily gains — highlights relative weakness that may keep investor caution elevated until clearer earnings/strategy signals appear. MarketWatch performance note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Baxter to a “Strong Sell” and cut several near‑term EPS forecasts (reductions to Q3/Q4 2026 and FY2026 estimates reported), signaling weaker near‑term profit expectations and exerting downward pressure on sentiment. Zacks downgrade and estimate cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus has shifted toward “Reduce”/“Reduce”‑type recommendations (average recommendation reported as “Reduce”), reflecting broad sell‑side caution that can increase selling pressure and weigh on the stock until clearer positive catalysts emerge. Average recommendation “Reduce”

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.