Baxter International Inc. (BAX) Stock Analysis

Q: What is the BAX stock price target?

Take-profit $19.24 (+8.2% upside). Prior stop was $16.54.

Q: Is BAX overvalued or undervalued?

Baxter International Inc. trades at a P/E of N/A (forward 8.8). TrendMatrix value score: 7.9/10. Overall verdict: Sell.

Q: What do analysts say about BAX?

22 analysts cover BAX with a consensus score of 3.2/5. Average price target: $22.

Recovery setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 3/5Moderate ConfidenceUpdated 1 days ago (May 19, 2026, 7:56 AM ET)

Healthcare · Medical Instruments & Supplies

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $17.79: Quality below floor (3.2 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10. Specifically: High short interest: 11%; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.

$17.79+8.2% A.UpsideScore 4.7/10#22 of 25 Medical Instruments & Supplies

QualityF-score8 / 9FCF yield9.80%

IncomeYield1.12%(5y avg 2.46%)Payout307.69%at-risk

Stop $16.54Target $19.24(analyst − 13%)A.R:R 0.9:1

Analyst target$22.12+24.3%13 analysts

$19.24our TP

$17.79price

$22.12mean

$40

Passes 6/9 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 72d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: moderate.

Recent Developments — Baxter International Inc.

Latest news

Barclays Maintains Overweight on Baxter International, Raises Price Target to $27 — benzinga May 4, 2026 positive
Baxter Profit Plunges 35% As Tariffs, Costs Bite — benzinga May 1, 2026 negative
Baxter International Affirms FY2026 Adj EPS Guidance of $1.85-$2.05 vs $1.91 Est; Affirms FY2026 Sales Guidance of $11.2 — benzinga Apr 30, 2026 neutral
Baxter International Affirms FY2026 Adj EPS Guidance of $1.85-$2.05 vs $1.91 Est — benzinga Apr 30, 2026 neutral
Baxter Intl Q1 Adj. EPS $0.37 Beats $0.31 Estimate, Sales $2.701B Beat $2.616B Estimate — benzinga Apr 30, 2026 positive

Generated 2026-05-20T21:06:21Z.

Thesis

Rewards

No bull case signals

Risks

Quality below floor (3.2 < 4.0)

Value-trap signals (3/5): Margin compression (op margin -54.5%), Material insider selling (39 sells, 0.20% of cap), Negative free cash flow

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)—

P/E (Fwd)8.8

Mkt Cap$9.2B

EV/EBITDA8.8

Profit Mgn-9.7%

ROE-15.0%

Rev Growth2.9%

Beta0.62

Dividend1.12%

Rating analysts22

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9

Options Flow

P/C0.84neutral

IV63%elevated

Max Pain$9-49.4% vs spot

Material Events(8-K, last 90d)

2026-03-16Item 5.02HIGH
CFO Joel Grade's service as EVP and CFO ceased March 16, 2026; transitioned to non-executive advisory role through April 30, 2026. Anita Zielinski appointed Interim CFO. No permanent successor named. Separation not result of any disagreement with management.
SEC filing →
2026-02-12Item 5.02LOW
Michael R. McDonnell appointed to the Board of Directors effective February 13, 2026. No reason for appointment beyond board composition cited; no departures mentioned.
SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Overall = weighted sum of the 10 dimension scores. Fundamentals (Value/Quality/Growth) carry 45%; market signals (Momentum/Sentiment/Insider/Peer) carry 40%; structure (Technical/Risk/Catalyst) carries 15%.

DimensionScoreWeightContribution

Value7.915%1.19

Quality3.215%0.48

Growth3.215%0.48

Momentum4.010%0.40

Sentiment6.010%0.60

Insider Activity5.010%0.50

Peer Rank4.010%0.40

Technical Setup3.35%0.17

Risk Profile4.85%0.24

Catalyst4.45%0.22

Overall (Σ contributions)4.67

Small float-rounding may cause last-digit differences between this sum and the displayed Overall.

Unprofitable operations — net margin -9.7%. Quality floor flags this regardless of sector context.static

Roe

0.0

Net Margin

0.0

Roa

1.9

Operating Margin

2.4

Gross Margin

2.9

Moat

3.1

Current Ratio

6.6

Piotroski F

8.9

No competitive moatStrong Piotroski F-Score: 8/9

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Revenue Growth

3.2

Low model confidence on this dimension (33%).

Technicals below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

52w Position

1.0

Bollinger

4.4

Support Resistance

4.6

GatesMomentum 4.0<4.5A.R:R 0.9 < 1.5@spotDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 72d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Moderate

RSI

49 · Neutral

↑ 20D MA↑ 50D MA↓ 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $16.17Resistance $19.18

Price Targets

$17

$19

A.Upside+8.2%

A.R:R0.9:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone

Suggested %0.5%

Max %1%

RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Quality below floor (3.2 < 4.0)

! Value-trap signals (3/5): Margin compression (op margin -54.5%), Material insider selling (39 sells, 0.20% of cap), Negative free cash flow

! Momentum score 4.0/10 — below 4.5 minimum

Earnings

2/4 beats

Next Earnings2026-07-30 (72d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first

Loading history...

Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BAX stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $17.79: Quality below floor (3.2 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10. Specifically: High short interest: 11%; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 49. Prior stop was $16.54. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

What is the BAX stock price target?

Take-profit target: $19.24 (+8.2% upside). Prior stop was $16.54. Stop-loss: $16.54.

What are the risks of investing in BAX?

Quality below floor (3.2 < 4.0); Value-trap signals (3/5): Margin compression (op margin -54.5%), Material insider selling (39 sells, 0.20% of cap), Negative free cash flow.

Is BAX overvalued or undervalued?

Baxter International Inc. trades at a P/E of N/A (forward 8.8). TrendMatrix value score: 7.9/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about BAX?

22 analysts cover BAX with a consensus score of 3.2/5. Average price target: $22.

What does Baxter International Inc. do?Baxter International manufactures and sells medical supplies, devices, and pharmaceutical products across three...

Baxter International manufactures and sells medical supplies, devices, and pharmaceutical products across three segments: Medical Products & Therapies, Healthcare Systems & Technologies, and Pharmaceuticals, sold to hospitals and healthcare institutions in over 100 countries. After divesting the Kidney Care business for ~$3.71 billion in January 2025, Baxter is a smaller, more focused company targeting a net leverage ratio of approximately 3.0x by end of 2026. Outstanding indebtedness was approximately $9.48 billion as of December 31, 2025.