Simplify Asset Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Simplify Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 27.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,506 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 5,824 shares during the quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. Freemont Management S.A. increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% in the fourth quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,341,000 after buying an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $116,580,000. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter valued at about $185,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $30,931,000 after purchasing an additional 48,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,366,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.2%

ABT opened at $95.25 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $88.95 and its 200-day moving average is $104.35. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $81.97 and a one year high of $137.49. The company has a market capitalization of $165.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ABT. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.42.

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.