Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $17.00 and last traded at $17.14, with a volume of 1578067 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BAX shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Baxter International from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.10.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.5%

The firm has a market cap of $8.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.17 and its 200-day moving average is $20.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 8.51% and a positive return on equity of 16.95%. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Baxter International Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is currently -2.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,014 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Baxter International by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 4,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 15,968 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the period. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Baxter International in the second quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

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.