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BAX vs. GH: Baxter vs. Guardant Health Stock Comparison

How do Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but BAX is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while GH is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
Profile ItemBAXGH
NameBaxter International Inc.Guardant Health, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care EquipmentHealth Care Services
Market Capitalization13.34 billion USD20.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateOctober 27, 1981October 4, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BAX
GH
GSPC
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Total Return (1Y)45.72%66.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-5.53%92.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-17.96%8.36%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BAX
GH
GSPC
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Guardant Health (GH) has an aggressive beta of 1.69, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Baxter (BAX) is defensive at 0.62 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)42.31%53.23%
Beta (5Y)0.621.69
Max Drawdown (5Y)-80.61%-85.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)6.53M1.97M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BAX and GH are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.981.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.421.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) has no ROE value reported for this period; Baxter (BAX) reports a negative figure of -9.04%, which needs context because negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-9.04%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
BAX
-9.04%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
GH
--
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; BAX is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Baxter (BAX) at -6.23% and Guardant Health (GH) at -37.93% report negative net margin values, usually indicating net losses over the period.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-6.23%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
BAX
-6.23%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.93%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
GH
-37.93%
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative operating margin of -37.06%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Baxter (BAX) reports 9.88%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.88%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
BAX
9.88%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.06%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
GH
-37.06%
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
ROE (TTM)-9.04%--
ROA (TTM)2.71%-19.92%
Net Margin (TTM)-6.23%-37.93%
Operating Margin (TTM)9.88%-37.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.37%65.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Guardant Health (GH) at 32.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Baxter (BAX) at 5.72% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GH.

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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Neither Baxter (BAX) nor Guardant Health (GH) reports a EPS growth value for this period, so a direct comparison isn't possible.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.72%32.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.79%29.75%
EPS Growth (YoY)----
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Baxter (BAX) at 1.79 and Guardant Health (GH) at 3.60 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.79

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
BAX
1.79
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
GH
3.60
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Baxter (BAX) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36 against its industry range, while Guardant Health (GH) reports no figure this period.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.36

Max
1.88
BAX
1.36
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
GH
--
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; BAX is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.793.60
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.36--
Net Debt / EBITDA3.73--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Baxter (BAX) reports a yield of 0.16%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.16%

BAX
0.16%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Baxter (BAX) reports payout ratio above 100% at 154.67%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; Guardant Health (GH) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

154.67%

BAX
154.67%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.16%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)154.67%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Neither Baxter (BAX) nor Guardant Health (GH) reports a P/E ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
BAX
--

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
GH
--
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): Neither stock reports P/E ratio, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Baxter (BAX) at 1.15 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Guardant Health (GH) at 15.96 clears its benchmark range — GH looks notably rich on sales.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.15

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
BAX
1.15
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.96

GH
15.96
Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.67, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Baxter (BAX) reports 2.05, ranking against industry peers normally.

BAX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
BAX
2.05
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-73.67

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
GH
-73.67
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Baxter (BAX) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Baxter (BAX) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricBAXGH
P/E Ratio (TTM)----
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.1515.96
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.05-73.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)9.16%-0.30%