Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 5.550-5.800 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 5.670. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Abbott Laboratories also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.120-1.180 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on ABT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $155.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.79.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $107.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.72. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $105.78 and a twelve month high of $141.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.36.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (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 17.94%. The firm had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. Analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is presently 67.74%.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: MedTech and pharma strength, and EPS resilience — Abbott reported adjusted Q4 EPS growth (company highlighted margin improvements) and strong MedTech (+~12%) and Established Pharma (+~9%) performance that partly offset Nutrition weakness; management still projects FY‑2026 adjusted EPS growth. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts keep buy/outperform stance despite cuts — several major firms trimmed price targets after the print but largely maintained buy/overweight ratings, signaling conviction in the longer‑term story even as near‑term expectations were tempered. Analyst Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentators view the pullback as a buying opportunity — market commentators highlight ABT’s dividend history, cash flow and buyback capacity, suggesting the drop may create an attractive entry for long‑term investors. MarketBeat: Pullback Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts available — investors can review management commentary and segment detail in the Q4 earnings call transcript for color on nutrition, diagnostics and Exact/other strategic items. Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/valuation commentary circulates — value and dividend‑focused outlets are flagging ABT as attractively valued after the pullback; this is background context rather than a near‑term catalyst. Zacks: Value Take
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss driven by Nutrition and Diagnostics — Q4 revenue (~$11.5B) fell short of consensus, with Nutrition down sharply (~8–9%) and Diagnostics weak, sparking the initial selloff. Reuters: Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance slightly below Street — Abbott set Q1 EPS and FY‑2026 EPS ranges that sit near or a touch below consensus, increasing near‑term revenue/growth concerns. Guidance Details
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts — a raft of firms (Citigroup, Goldman, Raymond James, Sanford Bernstein, Oppenheimer, RBC, etc.) trimmed targets, which can amplify selling pressure even if ratings remain constructive. Benzinga: PT Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Options and hedging activity spiked — an unusual surge in put buying suggests traders are positioning for further near‑term downside (heightened bearish sentiment).
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny in India — reports of an investigation into alleged misuse of a codeine‑based cough syrup (Abbott Healthcare) add an extra headline risk in emerging markets. Reuters: India Scrutiny

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 1,031 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.