Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.45.

Baxter International Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of BAX opened at $26.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $21.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.60. The stock has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a PE ratio of -12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $15.73 and a 12 month high of $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.57% and a negative net margin of 9.27%.The company’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Baxter International will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Baxter International by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,014 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 4,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 15,968 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 46,913 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Baxter International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter results: Baxter reported adjusted earnings of $0.56 per share, well above the $0.36–$0.37 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $2.96 billion versus expectations near $2.80 billion. Growth was supported by demand for IV solutions and drug-compounding products. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Management increased full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $1.95–$2.15 from its prior range of $1.85–$2.05 and projected revenue of $11.6 billion–$11.7 billion, above the roughly $11.4 billion consensus. The update reflected operating momentum and an additional tariff refund benefit. Baxter second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: More favorable analyst stance: Citigroup upgraded BAX from “sell” to “neutral” and raised its price target to $28 from $17, indicating that the turnaround and recovery outlook have improved.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo remains cautious: Wells Fargo raised its target to $23 from $19 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The new target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, highlighting valuation concerns despite better fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is August 28, with payment scheduled for October 1.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and margin concerns: Shares had surged following the earnings beat and guidance increase, and the subsequent pullback may reflect profit-taking. Adjusted earnings still declined from $0.59 per share a year earlier, while margin pressure, tariffs, manufacturing costs and Baxter’s negative net margin remain risks.

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.