AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Stock Price Up 1.8% Following Analyst Upgrade

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV)’s stock price was up 1.8% on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $296.00 to $310.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. AbbVie traded as high as $274.94 and last traded at $271.3650. Approximately 5,352,381 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 6,430,949 shares. The stock had previously closed at $266.69.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on AbbVie from $258.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of AbbVie from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AbbVie from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on AbbVie from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of AbbVie from $261.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AbbVie news, EVP Nicholas Donoghoe sold 32,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $8,177,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 74,430 shares in the company, valued at $18,607,500. This trade represents a 30.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting AbbVie

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie and Genmab reported that epcoritamab combined with R-CHOP reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% versus R-CHOP alone in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The Phase 3 EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial met its progression-free-survival goal, potentially positioning Epkinly as a frontline treatment competitor to Roche’s Polivy and expanding the drug’s commercial opportunity. AbbVie and Genmab DLBCL trial results
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted two Breakthrough Therapy Designations to telisotuzumab adizutecan (Temab-A or ABBV-400) for colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The designations could accelerate development and regulatory interaction for AbbVie’s next-generation antibody-drug conjugate and add support to its broader oncology pipeline. AbbVie Temab-A FDA designations
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its AbbVie price target from $280 to $320 and maintained a “sector outperform” rating, citing a bullish outlook for the company’s pipeline and growth prospects. Scotiabank raises AbbVie price target
• Neutral Sentiment: AbbVie is scheduled to report third-quarter results later this month, making upcoming revenue, immunology performance and updated guidance important near-term catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: AbbVie lowered its third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance to $3.73–$3.77, below the roughly $3.85 analyst consensus, after recording $216 million in acquired in-process research and development and milestone expenses. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was also reduced by $0.11 at the midpoint. AbbVie updates 2026 earnings guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary highlighting a payout ratio above 190% raises questions about dividend coverage, although reported earnings can be distorted by accounting and acquisition-related items. AbbVie dividend payout concerns

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AbbVie

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ABBV. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in AbbVie by 37.0% during the first quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 14,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,238,000 after buying an additional 4,017 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 11.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 447,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,516,000 after acquiring an additional 45,132 shares during the period. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of AbbVie during the second quarter worth approximately $23,557,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 134,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,865,000 after acquiring an additional 9,380 shares during the period. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 119.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 69,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,376,000 after acquiring an additional 37,531 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

AbbVie Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $258.12 and its 200 day moving average is $235.42. The stock has a market cap of $479.44 billion, a PE ratio of 76.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.24.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $16.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.80 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 9.80% and a negative return on equity of 422.07%. AbbVie’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.97 EPS. AbbVie has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.840-3.880 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AbbVie Inc. will post 14.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AbbVie Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. AbbVie’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.48%.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of serious and chronic health conditions. Its portfolio spans immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, aesthetics, gastroenterology and women’s health.

The company’s products include the immunology medicines Skyrizi and Rinvoq; neuroscience treatments such as Vraylar, Ubrelvy and Qulipta; and oncology medicines including Imbruvica and Venclexta. AbbVie also markets Botox Cosmetic and Botox Therapeutic, as well as other products for aesthetics, eye care and specialty care.

AbbVie was established in 2013 as an independent, publicly traded company following its separation from Abbott Laboratories.