Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 2nd, 2026

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Baxter International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Baxter International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays upped their target price on Baxter International from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research lowered Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.45.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Baxter International

Baxter International Price Performance

BAX stock opened at $26.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.66, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $21.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $15.73 and a 12-month high of $30.00.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 16.40%. Baxter International’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Baxter International will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be 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 is Friday, August 28th. Baxter International’s payout ratio is presently -1.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baxter International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Baxter International in the second quarter worth $46,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Baxter International in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in 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 worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,043 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.19% of the company’s stock.

Baxter International News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter results: Baxter reported adjusted earnings of $0.56 per share, well above the $0.36–$0.37 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $2.96 billion versus expectations near $2.80 billion. Growth was supported by demand for IV solutions and drug-compounding products. Reuters article
Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Management increased full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $1.95–$2.15 from its prior range of $1.85–$2.05 and projected revenue of $11.6 billion–$11.7 billion, above the roughly $11.4 billion consensus. The update reflected operating momentum and an additional tariff refund benefit. Baxter second-quarter results
Positive Sentiment: More favorable analyst stance: Citigroup upgraded BAX from “sell” to “neutral” and raised its price target to $28 from $17, indicating that the turnaround and recovery outlook have improved.
Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo remains cautious: Wells Fargo raised its target to $23 from $19 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The new target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, highlighting valuation concerns despite better fundamentals.
Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Baxter declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share, or $0.04 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is August 28, with payment scheduled for October 1.
Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and margin concerns: Shares had surged following the earnings beat and guidance increase, and the subsequent pullback may reflect profit-taking. Adjusted earnings still declined from $0.59 per share a year earlier, while margin pressure, tariffs, manufacturing costs and Baxter’s negative net margin remain risks.

Baxter International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.