Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories with an outperform rating and a $121 price target, implying about 33% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts were more mixed, with several cutting targets recently; the broader consensus remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $118.42.
• Abbott reported Q1 earnings of $1.15 per share, slightly beating estimates, while revenue rose 7.8% year over year to $11.16 billion. The company also provided FY2026 and Q2 guidance above current estimates.

Research analysts at Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price target on the healthcare product maker's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target would indicate a potential upside of 33.44% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on ABT. Leerink Partners lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.42.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE:ABT opened at $90.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.63. The business's fifty day moving average price is $88.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $137.49.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following 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 insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ABT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $5,850,000 after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. United Bank increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 7.4% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 29,004 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $3,945,000 after buying an additional 2,001 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,894 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,435,683 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $195,267,000 after buying an additional 292,547 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

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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