Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on BAX. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their price objective on Baxter International from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $31.00 to $24.00 in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.50.

Baxter International Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE BAX opened at $19.09 on Monday. Baxter International has a one year low of $17.40 and a one year high of $37.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.97. The firm has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.84, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 3.09% and a positive return on equity of 17.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. Baxter International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.520-0.570 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 2.350-2.400 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 2.1% during the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 51,458,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,761,439,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081,631 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in Baxter International by 44.8% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 476,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $16,317,000 after buying an additional 147,500 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Baxter International by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 188,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,458,000 after buying an additional 30,700 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Baxter International by 9.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,444,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,292,000 after buying an additional 125,431 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the first quarter valued at approximately $5,349,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.