Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $136.1579.

ABT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $169.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Elizabeth C. Cushman sold 263 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $30,397.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,458,267.34. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $102,288.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at $16,918,253.66. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,853,782 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $10,004,880,000 after acquiring an additional 1,627,791 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,229,445 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $7,922,519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614,706 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position 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 position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 39,169,239 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $4,907,523,000 after purchasing an additional 400,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott expects to close its acquisition of Exact Sciences on March 23, 2026, after receiving all regulatory clearances — a major strategic move that immediately expands Abbott’s presence in cancer screening and diagnostics and could drive revenue growth over time. Abbott acquisition of Exact Sciences set to close on March 23, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and commentary highlight the strategic expansion into diagnostics with Exact Sciences, positioning Abbott to capture a larger share of growing cancer-screening markets — a long-term revenue and pipeline positive. Abbott (NYSE:ABT) Expands Diagnostics With Exact Sciences Amid S&P 500 Futures
• Positive Sentiment: Independent bullish write-ups (syndicated on Yahoo/InsiderMonkey) recap a bullish thesis on ABT, citing valuation metrics and growth potential tied to diagnostics exposure — such coverage can support investor interest and longer-term upside. Is Abbott Laboratories (ABT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/theme-level research (UBS longevity thematic piece) frames aging and longevity as structural tailwinds for companies exposed to diagnostics and chronic-care solutions; this supports ABT’s long-term thesis but is not an immediate catalyst. Transformational Opportunities: UBS Suggests 2 Longevity Stocks to Buy as the $8T Aging Boom Accelerates
• Negative Sentiment: Healthcare stocks pulled back late Friday, dragging ABT with the sector; broader sector weakness can amplify short-term downside even when company-specific news is positive. Sector Update: Health Care Stocks Retreat Late Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance versus peers was noted in market reports — investors may be trimming ABT into the acquisition close due to integration, execution and dilution concerns. Abbott Laboratories stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitors

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $105.58 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $112.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.88 billion, a PE ratio of 28.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.18. Abbott Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $105.27 and a fifty-two week high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.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 firm posted $1.34 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is 67.74%.

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.