Baxter International Inc vs Herbalife Nutrition Ltd — how do they compare? Baxter International Inc trades at $22.25 (market cap $11.26B), while Herbalife Nutrition Ltd trades at $12.48 (market cap $1.27B). The key difference: Baxter International Inc is far larger — about 8.9× Herbalife Nutrition Ltd's market cap, and Baxter International Inc pays a 0.92% dividend while Herbalife Nutrition Ltd pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BAX | HLF | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $11.26B | $1.27B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $29.22 | $19.96 |
52-Week Low | $15.80 | $7.75 |
Enterprise Value | $18.93B | $3.00B |
Dividend Yield | 0.92% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Baxter International (BAX) trades at $22.57, down 0.22% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. The company reported Q1 2026 earnings beat with $0.36 EPS versus $0.31 expected, though net income margin remains negative at -9.7%. Recent news highlights upcoming Q2 earnings call and sustainability initiatives, while analyst consensus sits at $22.67 price target with 42% buy ratings.
BAX faces fundamental challenges with negative profitability metrics and volatile cash flow, but valuation appears reasonable with P/S of 1.02. The stock offers potential upside to analyst targets if operational improvements materialize, though investors must weigh high debt levels and inconsistent earnings performance against turnaround prospects in the medical technology sector.
Herbalife (HLF) trades at $13.10, down 0.38% on the day, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages. The company maintains strong profitability with a 77.78% gross margin and attractive valuation metrics including a P/E of 5.75 and P/S of 0.27. Recent Q1 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $0.64 versus $0.607 expected, while the company completed a $1.45 billion debt refinancing in April 2026 to strengthen its balance sheet.
The outlook remains positive with analyst consensus favoring Buy ratings (57.69%) and improving debt-to-asset ratios from 82.84% in 2024 to 71.67% in 2025. Key risks include high leverage, competitive pressures in the nutrition space, and regional market volatility. The stock offers value appeal given low multiples and recent strategic initiatives to expand digital health offerings.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Baxter offers a variety of medical instruments and supplies to caregivers. It enhanced its portfolio of hospital-focused offerings by acquiring Hillrom in late 2021. Legacy Baxter offers tools to help patients with acute and chronic kidney failure. It also sells a variety of injectable therapies for use in care settings, such as IV pumps, and administrative sets.
Read more on BAX →Herbalife Nutrition Ltd is an international nutrition company.
Read more on HLF →