Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Releases Q4 Earnings Guidance

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) issued an update on its fourth quarter earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $0.77-$0.81 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $0.85.

Baxter International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BAX opened at $36.04 on Friday. Baxter International has a 12 month low of $32.48 and a 12 month high of $44.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $18.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50 day moving average is $37.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.16.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.06% and a net margin of 16.51%. The firm had revenue of $3.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Baxter International will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BAX. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Baxter International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised Baxter International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Baxter International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.20.

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.