Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for BAX Earnings

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q3 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Baxter International in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $0.71 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.70. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $2.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s FY2027 earnings at $2.50 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Argus cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Baxter International from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.40.

Baxter International Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of BAX stock opened at $19.84 on Friday. Baxter International has a 1-year low of $17.40 and a 1-year high of $37.74. The company has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.05, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.59. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.11.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 17.38% and a negative net margin of 3.09%.Baxter International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BAX. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,326 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Baxter International by 1.4% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 159,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,816,000 after acquiring an additional 2,226 shares during the last quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Baxter International by 39.9% in the second quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,392 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 183,276 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,576,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 82.2% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s payout ratio is -6.06%.

Baxter International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged some forward estimates up — small raises to Q3 2027 and FY2027 EPS expectations (Q3 2027 to $0.71; FY2027 to $2.50) could be read as modestly constructive for long‑term earnings visibility. Zacks Research estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter announced a conference call to present fourth‑quarter 2025 financial results — this is a standard investor event but is a near‑term catalyst where management can clarify outlook, margins and cost actions. Baxter to Host Fourth-Quarter 2025 Financial Results Conference Call for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch notes Baxter has underperformed peers despite some daily gains — highlights relative weakness that may keep investor caution elevated until clearer earnings/strategy signals appear. MarketWatch performance note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Baxter to a “Strong Sell” and cut several near‑term EPS forecasts (reductions to Q3/Q4 2026 and FY2026 estimates reported), signaling weaker near‑term profit expectations and exerting downward pressure on sentiment. Zacks downgrade and estimate cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus has shifted toward “Reduce”/“Reduce”‑type recommendations (average recommendation reported as “Reduce”), reflecting broad sell‑side caution that can increase selling pressure and weigh on the stock until clearer positive catalysts emerge. Average recommendation “Reduce”

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.