Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC Acquires 6,127 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,711 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,127 shares during the period. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $5,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Carr Financial Group Corp raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.0% during the third quarter. Carr Financial Group Corp now owns 3,880 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $520,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Gemmer Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.9% during the third quarter. Gemmer Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.3% during the third quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.4% during the third quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 21,875 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $2,930,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank of Texas raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. American National Bank of Texas now owns 3,408 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.58.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $100.17 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $174.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.79. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $99.34 and a 52 week high of $139.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $108.92 and a 200 day moving average of $119.76.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The company had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratories’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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is currently 67.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $81,946.22. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 39,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,526,575.12. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $67,614.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 24,628 shares in the company, valued at $2,846,504.24. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy on ABT and kept a $137 price target, citing a resilient MedTech and diagnostics mix that supports Abbott’s path to 2026 targets. TipRanks: TD Cowen Note
• Positive Sentiment: Citi recently initiated/maintained a Buy on ABT (coverage note reported), providing analyst support that can limit downside from headline risk. Globe & Mail: Citi Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighting Abbott as a dividend-king value/attractive yield may draw income-focused buyers who view current weakness as a buying opportunity. MarketBeat: Dividend King
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott published consumer survey PR on chronic disease prevention (brand/marketing relevance). Useful for positioning but unlikely to move the stock materially in the short term. PR Newswire: Survey
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews note mixed expectations ahead of upcoming earnings (EPS growth expected but edge cases for a beat are limited), so the report could produce volatility but not a clear directional catalyst yet. Yahoo: Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: A Chicago jury ordered Abbott to pay $53 million in compensatory damages in a preterm infant formula trial — a headline legal loss that raises litigation risk and investor concern about reputational and settlement exposure. Reuters: Jury Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in March (up ~19.4% vs. mid‑March), bringing total shorted shares to ~23.8M and a ~1.6 days-to-cover — increased bearish positioning can amplify downward moves on negative headlines.
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore trimmed its price target (reported) and broader healthcare stocks were weaker today, adding sector pressure; analyst and macro pressure can compound headline-driven selling. American Banking News: Evercore PT Cut

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.