Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Shares Down 3.2% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Abbott Laboratories shares fell 3.2% on Friday, trading below their prior close as investors reacted to the stock’s recent weakness.
• The company’s Medical Devices segment grew 8.5% in Q1, helping support the long-term growth outlook, while Abbott also delivered earnings and revenue that topped analyst expectations in its latest quarter.
• Despite recent underperformance, analysts remain generally bullish: Wells Fargo reaffirmed a Buy rating, though several firms lowered price targets and one downgraded the stock to Neutral.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) traded down 3.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $84.08 and last traded at $84.2350. 10,757,104 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 11,826,294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.01.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott’s Medical Devices segment delivered 8.5% Q1 growth, with electrophysiology, rhythm management, and heart failure products driving gains. That reinforces the company’s long-term growth story and suggests its device portfolio remains a key catalyst for ABT. Abbott's Medical Device Strategy Supports Long-Term Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts remain bullish on Abbott Laboratories despite its recent underperformance versus the broader market, which can help cushion sentiment around the stock. Abbott Laboratories Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy rating on ABT, adding to the view that analysts still see upside potential despite near-term weakness. Wells Fargo Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Abbott to $5.47 from $5.48, which is only a minor change and close to consensus, so the impact looks limited. Abbott Laboratories news item referencing Erste Group Bank estimate reduction
• Negative Sentiment: ABT has underperformed over the past year, and recent share-price weakness has kept investors focused on whether the stock is now cheap rather than on a strong near-term rebound. Is Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Now Offering Value After Recent Share Price Weakness?

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group downgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $92.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.43.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $146.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $102.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.09.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 70.59%.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the 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 $70,850.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $4,926,279,000 after purchasing an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,868,718,000 after buying an additional 4,713,135 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 303.0% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,429,571 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $454,784,000 after buying an additional 3,330,368 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $336,815,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

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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