Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,967 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,023,000.
Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,853,782 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $10,004,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,627,791 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,229,445 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $7,922,519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614,706 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $4,926,279,000 after purchasing an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 39,169,239 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $4,907,523,000 after purchasing an additional 400,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories
Here are the key news stories impacting Abbott Laboratories this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Raised earnings estimate: Erste Group Bank increased its FY2026 EPS forecast for Abbott to $5.52 from $5.47, matching the broader consensus estimate. The revision reinforces expectations for continued earnings growth. Erste Group raises Abbott earnings estimate
- Positive Sentiment: Recent results remain supportive: Abbott’s latest quarterly report exceeded analyst expectations for both earnings and revenue, with revenue rising 13% year over year. Management also provided FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.45 to $5.60, supporting the positive earnings narrative.
- Positive Sentiment: Strategic diversification and income appeal: A comparison with Johnson & Johnson highlighted Abbott’s broad exposure to medical devices and diagnostics, strengthened by the Exact Sciences acquisition. Separately, analysts continue to identify ABT as an attractive Dividend Aristocrat for investors seeking recurring cash income. Abbott versus Johnson and Johnson comparison
- Neutral Sentiment: Healthcare-sector momentum: Strong performances from AbbVie and Guardant Health indicate continued investor interest in healthcare and diagnostics, but these companies’ results do not directly change Abbott’s fundamentals.
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation pressure: UBS lowered its expectations for Abbott’s stock price, potentially limiting upside and weighing on sentiment after the recent recovery. UBS lowers Abbott stock price expectations
Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.
Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is 81.55%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ABT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group downgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Evercore reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.17.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABT
About Abbott Laboratories
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.
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