Baxter International Inc. (BAX)
Baxter International is a global healthcare company that provides essential medical products like IV fluids, dialysis equipment, and surgical tools to hospitals.
Is Baxter International Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Essential products that hospitals need regardless of the economy. Worth weighing: Currently operating at a loss.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Baxter International Inc. do?
Baxter makes the everyday medical supplies that keep hospitals running, from the fluids used in drips to machines that help patients with kidney failure. The bills get paid by selling these high-volume products to healthcare providers around the world. Much depends on their ability to turn a profit, since recent costs have weighed heavily on the bottom line.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and value, and weakest on quality.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.1% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 5% over the year
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 1.6x its equity
- Momentum screens high
- Quality screens low
- Income screens low
Does Baxter International Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes - Baxter International Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 0.1% a year, which is £1.40 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about Baxter International Inc.'s dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 29 May 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
Does Baxter International Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $2.15B in cash against about $9.67B of debt - so it has net debt of about $7.52B. Debt is not automatically a problem - it funds growth - but it has to be serviced and repaid, which matters more when profits wobble.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Baxter International Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Baxter International Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Baxter International Inc. fell as much as −61% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Baxter International Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
When does Baxter International Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Baxter International Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-30 | $0.37 | $0.56 | Beat +53% |
| 2026-04-30 | $0.31 | $0.36 | Beat +16% |
| 2026-02-12 | $0.54 | $0.44 | Missed -18% |
| 2025-10-30 | $0.60 | $0.69 | Beat +15% |
| 2025-07-31 | $0.61 | $0.59 | Missed -3% |
| 2025-05-01 | $0.48 | $0.55 | Beat +14% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Baxter International Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Baxter International Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Strong growth in medical technology demand
Loss of market share to competitors
What are the pros and cons of Baxter International Inc.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Essential products that hospitals need regardless of the economy
- Lower volatility compared to the broader market
- Established global footprint in healthcare
- Currently operating at a loss
- Negative return on equity: How much profit the company makes for each £1 shareholders have put in. Higher usually means a more efficient business. indicates inefficient use of shareholder capital
- Recent share price decline reflects investor caution
- Rising costs of raw materials and manufacturing
- Potential for further restructuring charges
- Heavy reliance on hospital budgets which can be squeezed by government policy
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A return to consistent, positive net profit margins
- Significant reduction in company debt levels
Common questions about Baxter International Inc.
Does Baxter International Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes - Baxter International Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 0.1% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does Baxter International Inc. report earnings next?
Baxter International Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-29. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
More in Healthcare
GSK
Haleon plc
AstraZeneca PLC
Convatec Group PLC
Beam Therapeutics Inc.
Tempus AI, Inc.
CRISPR Therapeutics AG
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.