The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $19.00 to $21.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 10.10% from the company’s previous close.

BAX has been the topic of several other reports. Zacks Research lowered Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Evercore cut their target price on Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Baxter International from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Baxter International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.91.

Baxter International Price Performance

NYSE:BAX opened at $23.36 on Wednesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $20.16 and a 200-day moving average of $19.33. Baxter International has a 52 week low of $15.73 and a 52 week high of $29.35. The company has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.97, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.62.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.70% and a positive return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Baxter International by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,510,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $257,174,000 after purchasing an additional 972,891 shares during the last quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. boosted its position in Baxter International by 70.0% in the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 10,693,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $204,347,000 after buying an additional 4,404,874 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,638,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $231,304,000 after buying an additional 97,687 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Baxter International by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,410,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $65,216,000 after buying an additional 894,761 shares during the period. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Baxter International to $21 from $19, signaling somewhat improved valuation expectations even though the firm kept a neutral rating. Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Given New $21.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group
• Neutral Sentiment: News also highlighted that Baxter’s chart has formed a golden cross, a technical signal some traders view as constructive for near-term momentum. AbbVie vs Baxter: One Golden Cross Is Real, One Is a Trap
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its earnings estimates for Baxter across multiple periods, including Q2 2026, FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028, while also downgrading the stock to Strong Sell, which suggests concerns about profit growth. Zacks.com downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Baxter also updated its segment reporting structure and metrics, but the filing did not appear to include a major operating surprise. Baxter International Updates Segment Reporting Structure and Metrics

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.