Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Upgraded to “Neutral” at Citigroup

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was upgraded by analysts at Citigroup from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $28.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock, up from their prior target price of $17.00. Citigroup’s target price points to a potential upside of 5.06% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on BAX. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Baxter International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.09.

Baxter International Stock Up 7.6%

BAX stock opened at $26.65 on Friday. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $15.73 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.51, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $21.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.56.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,510,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $257,174,000 after purchasing an additional 972,891 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $231,304,000 after buying an additional 97,687 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Baxter International by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,410,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $65,216,000 after buying an additional 894,761 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 3,328,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $63,602,000 after buying an additional 356,612 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Baxter International by 2.9% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 649,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $19,666,000 after acquiring an additional 18,439 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat expectations: Adjusted earnings were $0.56 per share versus consensus of approximately $0.36–$0.37, while revenue reached $2.96 billion, ahead of estimates near $2.80 billion and up 5.3% year over year. Baxter Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised: Baxter now expects 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.95–$2.15, above the prior outlook and roughly ahead of the $1.92 analyst consensus. Revenue guidance of $11.6–$11.7 billion also exceeds expectations of about $11.4 billion. Baxter raises annual profit forecast on strong demand for IV solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Demand and one-time benefits supported performance: Strong sales of IV solutions and drug-compounding products helped drive broad-based segment growth. Management also cited an unanticipated tariff refund as an additional benefit to quarterly results. Baxter raises annual profit forecast on strength in drug compounding business
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is mixed: UBS raised its price target to $25 and Stifel raised its target to $24 while maintaining a Hold rating. Reported recent targets have a median of $20.50, below the current trading level, suggesting expectations may already reflect much of the earnings improvement.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability remains a concern: Earnings declined from $0.59 per share a year earlier, and analysts noted contracting margins amid tariffs, inflation and manufacturing costs. Investors may also monitor a reported recall involving a widely used antibiotic solution for potential operational or reputational effects. BAX Stock Gains on Q2 Earnings and Sales Beat, Margins Contract

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.