Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential downside of 12.59% from the stock’s previous close.

BAX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore cut their target price on Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $22.45.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of BAX traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.31. 1,122,387 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,333,546. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $15.73 and a 52 week high of $30.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.56. The firm has a market cap of $13.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.62.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.15% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Baxter International will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Baxter International by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,436 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 649,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $19,666,000 after buying an additional 18,439 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $231,304,000 after buying an additional 97,687 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 21.4% in the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 24,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $737,000 after buying an additional 4,293 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Baxter International by 5.5% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 53,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,633,000 after acquiring an additional 2,813 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Baxter reported adjusted EPS of $0.56 versus the approximately $0.36–$0.37 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $2.96 billion, above the $2.80–$2.84 billion forecast. Sales rose 5.3% year over year. Baxter Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 guidance was raised: Baxter now expects full-year EPS of $1.95–$2.15, above its prior outlook and analysts’ roughly $1.92 estimate. Revenue guidance of $11.6–$11.7 billion also exceeds consensus near $11.4 billion. The company cited operating momentum and an unexpected tariff refund. Baxter raises annual profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup upgraded BAX: Citi moved its rating from “sell” to “neutral” and raised its price target from $17 to $28, signaling that the recent operational improvement has reduced downside risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Although fundamentals and recovery prospects are improving, broader analyst coverage is generally neutral, and the stock has historically underperformed the market. Other recent targets include $24, $25 and $27.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability remains a concern: Adjusted earnings declined from $0.59 a year earlier, while margins contracted amid tariff and cost pressures. Baxter also maintains a negative net margin, so investors will likely monitor whether the improved outlook translates into sustained earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend remains minimal: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of roughly 0.2%, providing little income support for the 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.