Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Short Interest Up 19.4% in March

Key Points

• Short interest in Abbott Laboratories rose 19.4% in March to 23,825,745 shares (about 1.4% of shares outstanding), with a days‑to‑cover ratio of 1.6 based on average daily volume.
• Abbott beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.15 vs. $1.14; revenue $11.16B vs. $10.99B) but trimmed FY‑2026 guidance and flagged dilution from the Exact Sciences acquisition, prompting several broker price‑target cuts and a mixed market reaction.
• The company declared a $0.63 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.52) for a yield of 2.6% and a payout ratio of about 67.7%.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 23,825,745 shares, a growth of 19.4% from the March 15th total of 19,950,568 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 15,276,581 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock traded up $1.42 on Friday, reaching $96.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,555,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,596,042. The company has a market capitalization of $168.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 1.57 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $107.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.71% and a net margin of 13.90%.The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. Analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 67.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ABT. Mizuho decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Abbott Laboratories from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $121.00.

Insider Activity

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the business'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 value of $70,850.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. The trade was a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 39,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,526,575.12. The trade was 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 three months, insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ABT. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Preliminary settlement reached in six shareholder derivative suits tied to Abbott’s U.S. infant‑formula business, reducing litigation overhang for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New data on Cancerguard MCED (multi‑cancer early detection) presented at AACR 2026 — important for Abbott’s growth thesis since the Exact Sciences deal expanded its oncology diagnostics exposure. Continued clinical progress supports longer‑term revenue upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Insiders added roughly $3.1M of stock, and a number of analysts still see upside — some calling the post‑acquisition pullback a buying opportunity given valuation and Abbott’s dividend track record. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results: adjusted EPS $1.15 (vs. $1.14 est.) and revenue $11.16B (vs. $10.99B); company set FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.38–$5.58 and Q2 guide to $1.25–$1.31, explicitly including ~$0.20 of dilution from the Exact Sciences acquisition. Investors are parsing beat vs. the guidance change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analyst commentary emphasize medical‑device strength offset by Diagnostics/Nutrition softness and acquisition-related margin pressure — useful for active traders but mixed for near‑term stock direction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after the print because Abbott trimmed guidance and flagged Nutrition weakness and margin compression; coverage shows the takeover (≈$21–23B) is dilutive near term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Many brokers lowered price targets and some cut forecasts following Q1/guidance — several firms kept positive ratings but reduced targets (examples include RBC, Jefferies, Raymond James, Citi and others), amplifying short‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and headlines highlighted the EPS guidance cut and Nutrition slump as primary reasons for the earlier drop — these remain catalysts to watch for the next quarter. Read More.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.