Is Baxter International an Underrated Healthcare Investment Play?

2026-02-06 10:35:00 ET

Baxter International (NYSE: BAX) was a dividend stock, but it's no longer one. That's because the dividend was just cut from $0.17 per share per quarter to a token penny. Dividend lovers will want to skip on this stock, but turnaround investors and those with a value bias may find it worthy of a deep dive.

Baxter makes medical products like surgical sealants and hospital beds. What it makes may not be sexy -- say, like Intuitive Surgical 's da Vinci surgical robot -- but the healthcare industry needs what Baxter sells to operate. That's the long-term story that matters most. Indeed, the aging of the baby boomer generation is likely to lead to increased demand for healthcare. Which, in turn, means increased demand for Baxter's perhaps mundane products.

Image source: Getty Images.

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