Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at BTIG Research

Key Points

• BTIG Research reaffirmed a Buy rating on Abbott with a $131 price target, implying roughly a 37.8% upside from the prior close.
• Abbott's Q1 slightly beat expectations (EPS $1.15 vs. $1.14; revenue $11.16B, +7.8% y/y) but cut FY2026 guidance to $5.38–$5.58 and Q2 to $1.25–$1.31, citing merger-related dilution (~$0.20/share from the Exact Sciences deal) and margin pressure, which sparked the stock selloff.
• The stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy with a ~$132.60 target, is trading near $95 (down ~6.4% on the day), and is about 75% owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by analysts at BTIG Research in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $131.00 target price on the healthcare product maker's stock. BTIG Research's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 37.79% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Argus reduced their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Abbott Laboratories from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $132.60.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 6.4%

NYSE ABT opened at $95.08 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $108.17 and a 200-day moving average of $119.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.79. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $93.92 and a 52 week high of $139.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The business had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value 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. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $81,946.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,526,575.12. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results narrowly beat expectations: adjusted EPS $1.15 vs. $1.14 consensus and revenue $11.16B (up 7.8% y/y), supported by cancer-diagnostics and medical-device strength. Abbott first-quarter results beat on cancer diagnostics, medical device strength
• Positive Sentiment: Exact Sciences acquisition expands Abbott into high-growth oncology diagnostics and is presented as strategic long-term growth even though it creates near-term EPS dilution. Abbott Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results; Updates Guidance to Reflect Acquisition of Exact Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support and insider activity: RBC Capital reaffirmed its buy rating and company insiders added shares, both signals of continued institutional/management confidence. RBC Capital Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Abbott Laboratories Insiders Added US$3.10m Of Stock To Their Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance cut and dilution: Abbott lowered FY2026 adjusted EPS to $5.38–$5.58 (includes ~$0.20/share dilution from Exact Sciences) and Q2 EPS to $1.25–$1.31, below Street expectations — the guidance hit is the primary reason investors sold shares. Abbott stock slips on guidance cut, ranks 10th in healthcare equipment Quant ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and weak Nutrition segment: management flagged margin compression and a prolonged slump in nutrition sales (plus a milder flu season that hurt consumer-test volumes), which weigh on near-term profit recovery. Abbott Stock Falls Despite Q1 Earnings & Revenue Beat Abbott Laboratories Cuts Outlook, Says Mild Flu Season Hurt Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: Despite the beat, investors focused on the weaker guide and merger-related costs, sending the stock lower (coverage pieces and commentaries explain the selloff). Why Abbott Laboratories Stock Tumbled on Thursday

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.

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