Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Sets New 1-Year High Following Earnings Beat

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $30.00 and last traded at $28.8840, with a volume of 2873491 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.77.

The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. Baxter International’s 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.

Baxter International News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.56 per share, well above the roughly $0.36-$0.37 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $2.96 billion versus expectations of about $2.80 billion. Sales increased 5.3% year over year, indicating continued operating momentum. Baxter International Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2026 outlook to adjusted EPS of $1.95-$2.15 and revenue of $11.6 billion-$11.7 billion, above consensus estimates of approximately $1.92 EPS and $11.4 billion in revenue. Baxter Raises Annual Profit Forecast on Strong Demand for IV Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Management cited strong demand for IV solutions and broader medical products, as well as improved operating performance. The quarter also included an additional tariff refund that was not incorporated into prior guidance, helping results exceed expectations. Baxter Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BAX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Baxter International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research downgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.09.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 buying an additional 972,891 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 95.6% in the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 258,062 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,542,000 after acquiring an additional 126,104 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its position in Baxter International by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 3,328,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $63,602,000 after acquiring an additional 356,612 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Baxter International by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 391,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,477,000 after acquiring an additional 35,300 shares during the period. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in Baxter International by 28.9% in the 1st quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 60,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 13,562 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Stock Up 16.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.85. The stock has a market cap of $14.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.52.

About Baxter International

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.