Baxter International Inc. BAX recently introduced Voalte Linq , a lightweight, wearable badge powered by Scotty assistant, a voice-activated technology, at the 2025 HIMSS Global Healthcare Conference. Voalte Linq is the company’s latest innovation within connected care, providing health systems with an ecosystem that promotes full connectivity for care teams and their patients.
The latest product introduction by Baxter is aimed at driving workflow automation for hospital settings and transforming how care teams communicate with one another and their patients.
Likely Trend of BAX Stock Following the News
Following the announcement, shares of the company moved south 0.2% on Tuesday.
BAX is gaining high-level synergies from adding new products to its portfolio. The company makes significant investments in research and development to continually bring new products to the market. The introduction of Voalte Linq is likely to boost the market sentiment toward the stock in the upcoming days.
Meanwhile, BAX currently has a market capitalization of $17.80 billion. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 3.6%.
About Baxter’s Voalte Linq
Voalte Linq is expected to deliver efficient, streamlined communication between care teams, with the goal of freeing up more of their time and energy to focus on direct patient care. It can be used to support facility-wide communication or unit-specific communication, such as in the operating room, emergency department, and labor and delivery.
The wearable badge can be activated by a simple ‘Hey Scotty’ voice-activated technology. It can be integrated with existing products from Baxter’s care communications suite, including Voalte Mobile and Voalte Nurse Call. With the addition of Voalte Linq, these solutions can work in tandem to help enhance communication and activate workflows across healthcare settings with speed and accuracy.
Features of Baxter’s Voalte Linq
Voalte Linq aims to reduce the burden on care teams. The clear, reliable voice-activated technology, coupled with a comfortable design, should enable care teams communicate quickly while on the move. It will enhance IT and operational efficiency. The device has the ability to integrate with other Baxter solutions, which will help promote automated workflows utilizing assignments and directories. Additionally, it will support patient and staff safety. Voalte Linq comes with the ability to initiate Voalte Nurse Call duress workflow via voice-activated technology or speed-dial a pre-defined number with a configurable button that may support quick response during critical moments.
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Industry Prospects Favor BAX
According to a report by Polaris Market Research, the global voice technology in healthcare market was valued at $4.23 billion in 2023. The market is projected to reach $21.67 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 19.9% during 2024-2032. Primary factors driving the growth include the increasing demand for hands-free healthcare solutions and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics.
Other Recent Product Launches by Bax
In 2024, Baxter launched five new injectable pharmaceutical products in the United States, which, when combined with the previous five launches announced in April 2024, marks a total of 10 U.S. injectable product launches in 2024.
BAX Stock Price Performance
In the past year, BAX’s shares have declined 19.2% against the industry’s growth of 11.3%.
BAX’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Baxter currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Masimo MASI, Boston Scientific BSX and Cardinal Health CAH. At present, Masimo sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), whereas Boston Scientific and Cardinal Health carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each.
Masimo’s shares have rallied 38.8% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Estimates for MASI’s 2024 earnings per share (EPS) have increased 1.2% to $4.10 in the past 30 days. MASI’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 17.1%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 16.6%.
Estimates for Boston Scientific’s 2025 EPS have jumped 2.9% to $2.85 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have surged 54.4% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 11.3%. BSX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.25%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 7.69%.
Estimates for Cardinal Health’s fiscal 2025 EPS have increased 1.5% to $7.94 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have jumped 12.1% in the past year against the industry’s 3.6% decline. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.6%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 10.3%.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
