Q2 EPS Estimate for Baxter International Reduced by Analyst

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Baxter International in a report released on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the medical instruments supplier will earn $0.36 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.37. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Baxter International’s current full-year earnings is $1.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Baxter International’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.50 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.54 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.90 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.13 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on BAX. Evercore dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Baxter International from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup cut Baxter International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Baxter International from $17.00 to $19.00 in a research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $19.73.

Baxter International Trading Down 3.4%

BAX opened at $21.80 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $19.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.28. 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 firm has a market cap of $11.26 billion, a PE ratio of -10.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.62. Baxter International has a twelve month low of $15.73 and a twelve month high of $29.35.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.62 billion. Baxter International had a positive return on equity of 16.15% and a negative net margin of 9.70%.Baxter International’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BAX. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 98.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 33,909 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 16,809 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 552.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 3.2% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 41,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 35.6% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,720 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 1,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 498,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,366,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is -1.88%.

Key Headlines Impacting Baxter International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baxter said it is updating its segment reporting structure and metrics, which could improve transparency around business performance and make results easier for investors to follow. Baxter International Updates Segment Reporting Structure and Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock also drew attention for a technical “golden cross,” where the 50-day moving average moved above the 200-day moving average, a signal some traders view as constructive. AbbVie vs Baxter: One Golden Cross Is Real, One Is a Trap
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Baxter International from “hold” to “strong sell,” which is likely weighing on sentiment. Zacks.com downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: The same analyst firm trimmed near-term and longer-term earnings forecasts for Baxter, including FY2026 EPS to $1.83 from $1.87, FY2027 to $1.90 from $1.91, and Q2/Q3 2026 estimates as well, signaling softer profit expectations.

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.