Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week low, trading around $97 and down roughly 4.1% after the quarter as investors reacted to softer near-term guidance, margin pressure and acquisition-related dilution.
• Abbott reported a Q1 revenue beat of $11.16B (+7.8% YoY) driven by cancer diagnostics and medical devices — aided by the Exact Sciences acquisition — while EPS of $1.15 was in line and FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance was set at $5.38–$5.58 (Q2 guide $1.25–$1.31, incorporating about $0.20 of acquisition dilution).
• Wall Street sentiment is a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a target near $134.58; the company pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend (about a 2.6% yield) and insiders showed mixed activity, including a director purchasing shares.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $96.82 and last traded at $97.18, with a volume of 2982804 shares. The stock had previously closed at $101.56.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue topped estimates — Q1 sales rose to $11.16B (+7.8% YoY), helped by strength in cancer diagnostics and medical devices, signaling top-line momentum outside Nutrition. Reuters: Abbott first-quarter results beat on cancer diagnostics, medical device strength
• Positive Sentiment: Exact Sciences acquisition adds oncology diagnostics capability that contributed to Q1 revenue — positions Abbott in a faster-growing diagnostics market. PR Newswire: Abbott Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results; Updates Guidance to Reflect Acquisition of Exact Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: Insiders added shares recently, which can be read as management confidence in the business over the medium term. Yahoo: Abbott Laboratories Insiders Added US$3.10m Of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS came in at $1.15 — essentially in line with consensus, so the beat was primarily on revenue rather than profit margin expansion. Zacks: Abbott (ABT) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated that FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance is $5.38–$5.58 (includes ~$0.20 acquisition dilution) and issued Q2 EPS guide of $1.25–$1.31; guidance incorporates the Exact Sciences deal but is close to street expectations. Abbott Press Release: Q1 Results & Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered/softened near-term profit outlook relative to some analyst models (Q2 guidance below consensus), citing margin pressure and acquisition-related costs — this drove investor concern about profitability. Investing.com: Abbott shares dip on soft current-quarter guide; Q1 results in line
• Negative Sentiment: Nutrition segment weakness and merger-related charges are compressing margins and were cited by multiple outlets as the main reasons for the post-earnings selloff. Barron's: Abbott Stock Tumbles on Earnings. Nutrition Business Is Struggling
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares declined after the print as investors punished the combination of softer guidance, margin pressure and acquisition dilution despite the revenue beat. Blockonomi: ABT Stock Falls 4.3% After Q1 Earnings Despite Revenue Beat

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ABT shares. Leerink Partners cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $136.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $146.00 to $130.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.58.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 4.1%

The business's 50-day moving average price is $108.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $169.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.79.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The company's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is currently 67.74%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $108.73 per share, with a total value of $1,087,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,738,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $732,711,572.41. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $67,614.30. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 24,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,846,504.24. This trade represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 in the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Trust Co raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 109.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 29,412 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $3,939,000 after acquiring an additional 15,394 shares in the last quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at approximately $185,640,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.4% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 858,834 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $115,032,000 after acquiring an additional 19,966 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 6.1% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 329,430 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $43,785,000 after acquiring an additional 18,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 20.8% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 65,504 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $8,774,000 after acquiring an additional 11,264 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

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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