Will Baxter (BAX) Beat Earnings Estimates this Quarter?
Baxter International (BAX) is set to report its second-quarter 2013 results before the opening bell on Thursday, Jul 18. Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to the announcement.
In the last quarter, the company posted earnings surprise of +0.96%, with results in accordance with the company’s earlier stated guidance.
Factors to Consider this Quarter
The news regarding Baxter still remains somewhat mixed. On the positive side, Baxter’s focus on life-sustaining products which are not commoditized, partly insulate it from an economic downturn. The company is able to generate recurring revenues and consistent cash flow, due to its focus on chronic diseases. Among other positive factors, Baxter retains a strong product pipeline with several products in late-stage clinical development.
We believe that the company’s acquisitions including the impending Gambro, and former Synovis Life Technologies and Baxa Corporation will pay off in the longer term. However, we remain wary of near-term dilution associated with the company’s latest acquisition of Gambro.
On the flip side, despite resilience in certain sub-segments, we are concerned about a slightly somber outlook for hospital spending and tightening of reimbursement.
Improved execution has lifted sentiment somewhat toward Baxter. It is a good bet for value investors willing to wait as fundamentals improve further.
Earnings Whispers?
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Baxter is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) (Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method) and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below.
Zacks Earnings ESP: The Most Accurate estimate stands at $1.13, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.13. This comes to a difference of 0.00%.
Zacks Rank #3 (Hold): Baxter’s Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) lowers the predictive power of ESP. The Zacks Rank #3 together with 0.00% ESP earnings makes surprise prediction difficult.
Other Stocks to Consider
Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right ingredients to post an earnings beat this quarter:
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (SRPT), Earnings ESP of +27.78% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy)
Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (ZMH), Earnings ESP of +0.69% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)
CR Bard Inc. (BCR), Earnings ESP of +0.73% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)
Read the Full Research Report on BCR
Read the Full Research Report on ZMH
Read the Full Research Report on BAX
Read the Full Research Report on SRPT
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