Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Stock Rated Underweight in New Coverage at Barclays

Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an underweight rating and a $20.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Baxter International from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Baxter International from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Baxter International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $21.73.

Baxter International Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Baxter International stock opened at $24.33 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.55. The company has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.75, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Baxter International has a 1 year low of $15.73 and a 1 year high of $30.00.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 16.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 28th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of Baxter International by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 19,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. Core Capital Management & Research inc. bought a new stake in Baxter International in the second quarter valued at $202,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Baxter International by 22.8% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 164,400 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,505,000 after acquiring an additional 30,510 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Baxter International by 15.9% during the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,143 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,663 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Baxter International during the second quarter worth $161,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets products used in hospitals, outpatient facilities and other care settings. Its portfolio includes intravenous solutions and administration sets, infusion pumps, parenteral nutrition products, injectable medicines, surgical products and systems for medication preparation and delivery.

The company also provides products and technologies that support anesthesia, critical care, patient monitoring and other hospital workflows.