Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $118.3043.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Benchmark reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ABT. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during the 4th 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 period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,868,718,000 after acquiring an additional 4,713,135 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 217.0% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,522,222 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $566,967,000 after acquiring an additional 3,780,402 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 303.0% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,429,571 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $454,784,000 after acquiring an additional 3,330,368 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Justice Department reportedly closed its criminal probe into Abbott’s baby formula operations and chose not to pursue criminal charges, which removes a major overhang and reduces the risk of a damaging legal outcome. US DOJ closes criminal probe into Abbott over baby formula plant, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott’s Medical Devices business is being positioned for another growth phase, with new diabetes, heart rhythm, and electrophysiology products cited as potential drivers ahead of the company’s next earnings update. How Abbott’s Largest Segment Is Preparing for the Next Growth Phase
• Neutral Sentiment: Healthcare stocks were modestly higher late Monday afternoon, but Abbott still lagged peers and underperformed the sector, suggesting the stock’s move was more idiosyncratic than industry-wide. Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary also highlighted Abbott’s baby formula probe being dropped by the DOJ, reinforcing the legal relief narrative, though investors may still wait for clarity on any civil penalties or follow-on costs. Update: Market Chatter: Abbott Laboratories Baby Formula Probe Dropped by DOJ After Years-Long Investigation Into Contamination Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the DOJ news, Abbott’s shares traded lower and underperformed competitors, indicating that investors may be taking profits or focusing on broader concerns around valuation, growth, or lingering legal uncertainty. Abbott Laboratories stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $92.78 on Tuesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $161.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.99, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.63.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.380-5.580 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.310 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is 70.59%.

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.