Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX)’s stock price has soared by 0.40 in relation to previous closing price of 35.31. Nevertheless, the company has seen a gain of 7.98% in its stock price over the last five trading days. Zacks Investment Research reported 2023-11-03 that The headline numbers for Baxter (BAX) give insight into how the company performed in the quarter ended September 2023, but it may be worthwhile to compare some of its key metrics to Wall Street estimates and the year-ago actuals.

Is It Worth Investing in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) Right Now?

The 36-month beta value for BAX is also noteworthy at 0.60. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 5 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 rating it as “overweight,” 10 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”

The average price estimated by analysts for BAX is $42.91, which is $7.46 above than the current price. The public float for BAX is 503.18M, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.81% of that float. The average trading volume of BAX on November 17, 2023 was 5.02M shares.

BAX’s Market Performance

BAX’s stock has seen a 7.98% increase for the week, with a 10.57% rise in the past month and a -15.17% fall in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.32%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 2.65% for Baxter International Inc. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 6.66% for BAX’s stock, with a simple moving average of -13.56% for the last 200 days.

Analysts’ Opinion of BAX

Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for BAX stocks, with Morgan Stanley repeating the rating for BAX by listing it as a “Equal-Weight.” The predicted price for BAX in the upcoming period, according to Morgan Stanley is $45 based on the research report published on May 30, 2023 of the current year 2023.

BAX Trading at 0.32% from the 50-Day Moving Average

After a stumble in the market that brought BAX to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -37.72% of loss for the given period.

Volatility was left at 2.65%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.32%, as shares surge +8.71% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -9.03% lower at present.

During the last 5 trading sessions, BAX rose by +7.98%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -23.40% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $33.38. In addition, Baxter International Inc. saw -30.45% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.

Insider Trading

Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at BAX starting from STROUCKEN ALBERT P L, who sale 3,930 shares at the price of $37.52 back on Mar 20. After this action, STROUCKEN ALBERT P L now owns 36,835 shares of Baxter International Inc., valued at $147,454 using the latest closing price.

Kunzler Jacqueline, the SVP, Chief Quality Officer of Baxter International Inc., sale 3,813 shares at $40.50 during a trade that took place back on Feb 21, which means that Kunzler Jacqueline is holding 16,725 shares at $154,426 based on the most recent closing price.

Stock Fundamentals for BAX

Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:

• +8.63 for the present operating margin
• +34.61 for the gross margin

The net margin for Baxter International Inc. stands at -16.10. The total capital return value is set at 5.16, while invested capital returns managed to touch -10.08. Equity return is now at value 1.14, with 0.27 for asset returns.

Based on Baxter International Inc. (BAX), the company’s capital structure generated 295.10 points at debt to equity in total, while total debt to capital is 74.69. Total debt to assets is 60.85, with long-term debt to equity ratio resting at 268.95. Finally, the long-term debt to capital ratio is 68.07.

When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 2.23, with the company’s debt to enterprise value settled at 0.42. The receivables turnover for the company is 5.53 and the total asset turnover is 0.49. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 1.69.

Conclusion

In summary, Baxter International Inc. (BAX) has had a mixed performance as of late. Analysts have bullish opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.