S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY) component Baxter International, Inc. (NYSE:BAX) will unveil its latest earnings on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Baxter International is a company that develops and manufactures healthcare products that save and sustain the lives of people with chronic, acute illnesses.

Baxter International, Inc. Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for net income of $1.08 per share, a rise of 6.9% from the company’s actual earnings for the same quarter a year ago. During the past three months, the average estimate has moved up from $1.07. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate moved up. It has been unchanged at $1.08 during the last month. Analysts are projecting profit to rise by 8% versus last year to $4.30.

Past Earnings Performance: The company has beaten estimates the last four quarters and is coming off a quarter where it topped forecasts by 5 cents, reporting profit of $1.07 per share against a mean estimate of net income of $1.02 per share.

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Wall St. Revenue Expectations: Analysts are projecting a rise of 5.9% in revenue from the year-earlier quarter to $3.41 billion.

Analyst Ratings: Analysts are bullish on this stock with 12 analysts rating it as a buy, none rating it as a sell and four rating it as a hold.

A Look Back: In the second quarter, profit rose 15% to $615 million ($1.07 a share) from $535 million (90 cents a share) the year earlier, exceeding analyst expectations. Revenue rose 10.7% to $3.54 billion from $3.19 billion.

Key Stats:

Revenue has risen the past four quarters. Revenue rose 12.2% in the first quarter from the year earlier, climbed 0.8% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year from the year-ago quarter and 2.5% in the third quarter of the last fiscal year.

Competitors to Watch: Covidien plc (NYSE:COV), C.R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE:BCR), ICU Medical, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ICUI), Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), Hospira, Inc. (NYSE:HSP), CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE:CRY), Becton, Dickinson and Co. (NYSE:BDX), CareFusion Corporation (NYSE:CFN), Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE:HAE), and NxStage Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTM).

Stock Price Performance: During July 21, 2011 to October 14, 2011, the stock price had fallen $6.13 (-9.9%) from $62.05 to $55.92. The stock price saw one of its best stretches over the last year between October 3, 2011 and October 10, 2011 when shares rose for six-straight days, rising 6.3% (+$3.37) over that span. It saw one of its worst periods between July 21, 2011 and August 4, 2011 when shares fell for 11-straight days, falling 14.3% (-$8.90) over that span. Shares are up $6.15 (+12.4%) year to date.

(Source: Xignite Financials)

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