AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Trading 2% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) shares were up 2% during mid-day trading on Friday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $269.00 to $270.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. AbbVie traded as high as $225.82 and last traded at $223.50. Approximately 6,049,138 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 7,671,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $219.02.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $289.00 price target (up from $284.00) on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Berenberg Bank set a $275.00 price target on AbbVie in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. DZ Bank cut shares of AbbVie from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $237.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Citigroup dropped their price target on AbbVie from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AbbVie in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $251.00.

Key Stories Impacting AbbVie

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $270 and kept an “overweight” call, signaling institutional analyst conviction that AbbVie has double‑digit upside from current levels. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company forecasts for full‑year 2026 profit came in above estimates, driven by strong sales of newer immunology drugs (Skyrizi, Rinvoq), supporting the case for continued top‑line and earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and some analysts view the post‑earnings pullback as a buying opportunity, pointing to institutional accumulation, durable cash flow, and a strong dividend as anchors for medium‑term returns. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New real‑world Rinvoq data from Japan bolsters the drug’s addressable market for ankylosing spondylitis and reinforces growth prospects for AbbVie’s immunology franchise. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management framed the earnings call around “new growth engines” — Skyrizi/Rinvoq and other launches taking the lead in driving growth, which supports the long‑term story but doesn’t eliminate near‑term volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results beat on revenue and showed strong margin/earnings leverage, confirming product momentum even as some segments face headwinds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares initially gapped down after the print as investors focused on a softer-than‑expected Q1 EPS and revenue outlook despite the quarter’s beats — a classic near‑term reaction to guidance misses. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: AbbVie set Q1 2026 EPS guidance at $2.97–$3.01 (vs. ~3.11 consensus) and gave revenue guidance below the street, creating short‑term uncertainty about the cadence of 2026 growth. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader coverage highlighted investor “angst” and a bifurcated reaction — bullish on medium‑term fundamentals but worried about near‑term comps and valuation — keeping volatility elevated. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AbbVie

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ABBV. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in AbbVie during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new position in AbbVie in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in AbbVie during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AbbVie during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX acquired a new stake in AbbVie during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 70.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AbbVie Trading Up 2.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $395.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.70, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.14.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $16.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.39 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 6.91% and a negative return on equity of 4,184.47%. AbbVie’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. AbbVie has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.370-14.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.970-3.010 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie’s product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women’s health.