Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Price

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $21.00 to $19.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential downside of 0.89% from the company’s previous close.

BAX has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $19.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $20.70.

Baxter International Trading Up 2.5%

Baxter International stock opened at $19.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $19.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.32. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $17.40 and a 52 week high of $37.74. The stock has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a PE ratio of -29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.38% and a negative net margin of 3.09%.Baxter International’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Baxter International will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 25.7% during the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,200,860 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,114,000 after acquiring an additional 450,350 shares during the last quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $143,186,000. Cullen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 10.4% in the second quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,651,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,009,000 after buying an additional 155,415 shares during the last quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Baxter International in the third quarter valued at $2,128,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its stake in Baxter International by 20.6% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 574,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $17,402,000 after acquiring an additional 98,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and sales growth — Baxter reported Q4 revenue of $2.97B, above Street estimates, and said sales increased across its segments. This shows demand resilience even as profitability weakens. Baxter Reports Fourth-Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management is rolling out a new operating model intended to simplify the organization and drive improvements — a long‑term constructive step if it restores margins. Baxter Reports Fourth-Quarter 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared — Baxter announced a $0.01 quarterly dividend (ex‑dividend Feb 27). The payout is small (roughly 0.2% yield) and unlikely to materially change investor sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and call available — The company posted its earnings release, slide deck and call transcript for investors to review management’s detail on drivers and remediation plans. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed — Q4 EPS came in at $0.44 vs consensus ~$0.53, and the company earned less than a year earlier, signaling margin pressures. BAX Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance well below expectations — Baxter set EPS guidance of $1.85–$2.05 vs consensus ~ $2.28, prompting downward revisions and investor concern about near‑term profitability. Baxter forecast 2026 profit below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Hurricane-related production disruption — Management cited persistent impact from a hurricane at a key manufacturing site as a driver of the weaker profit outlook, raising execution risk and supply/cost pressure. Baxter forecast 2026 profit below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Margin compression, debt & analyst downgrades — Coverage notes shrinking margins, higher leverage and a cautious outlook; some analysts cut ratings or voice concern about recovery timing. Debt, Margin Pressure, Dreadful FY26 Guidance (Downgrade)

About Baxter International

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.