Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for BAX Earnings

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2027 EPS estimates for Baxter International in a report issued on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $0.65 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.71. Zacks Research has a “Hold” 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 $2.08 EPS.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 8.51% and a positive return on equity of 16.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Baxter International from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.10.

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock opened at $17.67 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a PE ratio of -9.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.82. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $17.40 and a 12-month high of $37.74.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -2.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 8.7% during the second quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 93,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after acquiring an additional 7,500 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Baxter International by 2.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,882,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $388,416,000 after acquiring an additional 326,652 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its position in shares of Baxter International by 4.9% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 77,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,344,000 after acquiring an additional 3,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Baxter International in the second quarter worth about $30,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baxter International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter joined the National Infusion Collaborative to advance infusion safety and best practices — a strategic, credibility-enhancing partnership that supports product adoption and customer relationships in Baxter’s infusion business. Baxter Joins the National Infusion Collaborative
• Neutral Sentiment: The Seeking Alpha piece “Sticking With Baxter At The Lows” lays out deep investor skepticism driven by disappointing guidance and management’s decision to delay Investor Day; it also describes recent leadership changes and a flattened organization as part of a bumpy turnaround — but argues valuation leaves upside if the turnaround succeeds. Sticking With Baxter At The Lows
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple downward revisions across 2026–2027 quarterly and FY estimates (FY2026 cut to $1.93 from $2.17; several quarterly EPS cuts), maintained a “Hold” rating, and projects lower near-term earnings — a clear negative for sentiment and a likely contributor to today’s weakness. (Source: MarketBeat/BAX summary) Zacks Research estimates and report summary

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.