Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.01

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of 0.01 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Baxter International has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. Baxter International has a payout ratio of 1.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Baxter International to earn $2.73 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 1.5%.

Baxter International Stock Down 16.0%

NYSE:BAX opened at $18.71 on Friday. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $17.40 and a 1-year high of $37.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $9.62 billion, a PE ratio of -28.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $19.77 and a 200 day moving average of $21.32.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BAX shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Zacks Research lowered Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Baxter International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $21.40.

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.