Baxter International Inc vs QUALCOMM, Inc. — how do they compare? Baxter International Inc trades at $26.94 (market cap $14.27B), while QUALCOMM, Inc. trades at $163.06 (market cap $170.81B). The key difference: QUALCOMM, Inc. is far larger — about 12× Baxter International Inc's market cap, and QUALCOMM, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.26%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BAX | QCOM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.27B | $170.81B |
Sector | Health | Technology |
52-Week High | $28.35 | $251.10 |
52-Week Low | $15.80 | $124.07 |
Enterprise Value | $21.79B | $177.78B |
Dividend Yield | 0.14% | 2.26% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Baxter International (BAX) trades at $27.22, down 2.02% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong recent earnings beats. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.56, beating expectations of $0.3665, and raised full-year guidance. Despite negative net income margins and high P/E of 87.85, cash flow trends improved with 2026 net cash flow projected at $468 million. Recent news highlights a 7.4% surge on August 3, 2026, following positive quarterly results and a cash tender offer announcement.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic due to earnings momentum and raised guidance, but high valuation and persistent negative profitability pose risks. Analyst consensus is mixed with 41.67% buy ratings, a $25.43 price target, and institutional activity showing volatility. Key risks include margin pressures and debt levels, though operational improvements may support recovery.
Qualcomm (QCOM) trades at $162.17, down 3.39% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing bearish moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported strong revenue of $44.28B in 2025 but saw net income decline to $5.54B, reflecting margin pressures. Recent news highlights Qualcomm's AI and data center expansion efforts, including the 'Dragonfly' AI platform announcement at COMPUTEX 2026, while facing increased competition from Nvidia in the PC chip market.
The outlook remains balanced with a consensus price target of $200.56 suggesting 24% upside, but near-term headwinds include smartphone market softness and margin compression. Long-term growth drivers in automotive and AI inference markets provide opportunity, though execution risks and competitive threats from chip rivals pose challenges for shareholder value.
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 →Qualcomm develops and licenses wireless technology and designs chips for smartphones. The company's key patents revolve around CDMA and OFDMA technologies, which are standards in wireless communications that are the backbone of all 3G and 4G networks. The firm is a leader in 5G network technology as well. Qualcomm's IP is licensed by virtually all wireless device makers. The firm is also the world's largest wireless chip vendor, supplying nearly every premier handset maker with leading-edge processors. Qualcomm also sells RF-front end modules into smartphones and chips into automotive and Internet of Things markets.
Read more on QCOM →