Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Key Points

• Barclays raised its price target on Abbott to $144 (from $142) and maintained an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 39.75% upside from the prior close.
• Abbott's most recent quarter met EPS expectations but fell short on revenue; management set Q1 2026 guidance of 1.120–1.180 EPS and FY 2026 guidance of 5.550–5.800 EPS, while the consensus view is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $134.58 versus the stock trading near $103.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Barclays from $142.00 to $144.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the healthcare product maker's stock. Barclays's price objective points to a potential upside of 39.75% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial decreased 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 note on Friday, January 23rd. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Leerink Partners decreased 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 note on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.58.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT stock traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $103.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 618,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,087,690. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.22 and a 200 day moving average of $120.47. The stock has a market cap of $179.46 billion, a PE ratio of 27.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $100.88 and a 12-month high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The business had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.80 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.120-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.550-5.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,918,253.66. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ABT. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during 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 buying an additional 39,005,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $336,815,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend / value story highlighted — multiple recent pieces frame ABT as a “dividend king on sale,” drawing attention from income and value investors who may see the pullback as a buying opportunity. A Dividend King on Sale: Is Abbott Labs a Healthcare Bargain?
• Positive Sentiment: Major sell‑side firms keep constructive stances — Evercore ISI and BTIG trimmed price targets but maintained positive/outperform ratings, leaving analysts’ views supportive even after modest PT adjustments (PT still above current levels), which can limit downside and attract buyers on dips. Evercore ISI and BTIG Lower Abbott (ABT) Price Targets, Maintain Positive Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market opportunity in digital health supports longer-term demand — a new industry report cites growth in digital health monitoring devices and lists Abbott among key players, underscoring exposure to a growing end market but with benefits realized over the medium term. Digital Health Monitoring Devices Market Report 2026-2030
• Negative Sentiment: Recent share‑price weakness and fading momentum highlighted — valuation and analysis pieces note ABT is down materially over recent months (single‑digit to double‑digit pullbacks), flagging momentum concerns that may pressure sentiment and prompt further selling or analyst scrutiny. Assessing Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Minor analyst estimate cut from Erste — Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS projection very slightly (from $6.25 to $6.24). The change is minimal, but it adds to the recent string of adjustments and cautious tone from some analysts.

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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