Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06, Zacks reports. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. Baxter International updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.450-2.550 EPS and its Q1 2025 guidance to 0.470-0.500 EPS.

Baxter International Stock Up 8.6 %

Shares of BAX traded up $2.64 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $33.46. The company had a trading volume of 4,080,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,643,930. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 167.21, a P/E/G ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.15. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $44.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Baxter International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Baxter International in a report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.40.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.