Piper Sandler Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Stock Price

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) had its price target lowered by Piper Sandler from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the healthcare product maker’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price target indicates a potential upside of 24.42% from the stock’s previous close.

ABT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Daiwa Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.56.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $108.50 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $105.78 and a 12 month high of $141.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.72.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.120-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.550-5.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ABT. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 759.1% during the second quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 189 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 81.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 232 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

Here are the key news stories impacting Abbott Laboratories this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Med‑tech strength and margin expansion: Abbott said its Devices/MedTech businesses performed well in Q4 and reported adjusted EPS growth of ~12%, which supports longer‑term earnings power. Abbott Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and income profile: Many sell‑side analysts maintain buy/outperform ratings and above‑current price targets, and the company’s Dividend‑King status and buyback capacity are cited as reasons some investors view the recent pullback as a buying opportunity. Is Abbott’s January Pullback a Good Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 EPS matched consensus: Abbott reported adjusted EPS of $1.50, in line with estimates — a neutral datapoint that limits the positive surprise potential. Abbott (ABT) Matches Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and segment weakness: Total Q4 revenue of $11.46B fell short of Street estimates (~$11.8B). Weakness in Diagnostics (volatile post‑COVID testing) and a ~9% decline in Nutrition weighed on top‑line growth, prompting investor concern. Abbott misses quarterly revenue estimates on weakness in diagnostics segment
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed modestly: Q1 EPS guidance (1.12–1.18) is below consensus (~1.20) and FY adjusted EPS range (5.55–5.80) leaves limited upside vs. Street forecasts, which amplified the sell‑off after results. Abbott Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk in India: Documents show scrutiny of an Abbott Healthcare (India) supply chain tied to alleged misuse of a codeine‑based cough syrup — a developing regulatory issue that adds uncertainty and headline risk. Abbott faces India scrutiny in cough syrup abuse investigation, documents show
• Negative Sentiment: Options flow and investor positioning: There was a large uptick in put buying (≈80.6k puts), indicating elevated bearish bets or hedging demand that can accelerate downside during news flows. (trade flow reported by market sources)

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions.

In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability.