Abbott Laboratories Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:ABT)

Posted by Geri Gentry on Jul 16th, 2026

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 28,776 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 72% compared to the typical daily volume of 16,739 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ABT shares. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.61.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABT

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT traded up $9.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $98.71. 15,414,804 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,218,523. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.61. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $89.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.36.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $12.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. 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. Analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Abbott reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $1.31, topping Wall Street estimates, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $12.51 billion, signaling broad business strength. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, above its prior range, while reaffirming comparable sales growth guidance, a key catalyst behind the stock’s move higher. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism was also boosted by strong momentum in medical devices and diagnostics, with commentary pointing to especially strong diagnostics growth and improving heart-device demand in the second half. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: Despite the upbeat results, Abbott’s quarterly profit fell sharply from a year ago, showing that not every line item improved even as the market focused on the stronger outlook. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

About Abbott Laboratories

(Get Free Report)

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.