Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Trading 1.2% Higher - Here's Why

Key Points

• Abbott Laboratories shares rose 1.2% in midday trading, reaching as high as $85.27 after opening the day at $83.83, with trading volume below its average.
• Recent earnings topped expectations, as Abbott reported $1.15 EPS on revenue of $11.16 billion, both slightly ahead of analyst estimates, while revenue grew 7.8% year over year.
• Analysts remain constructive despite cuts to price targets; the stock still carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average target price of $119.43, and Abbott also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $85.27 and last traded at $84.7990. Approximately 10,869,644 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 11,917,619 shares. The stock had previously closed at $83.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $131.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $147.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $100.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.85.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.59%.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,918,253.66. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 over the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American National Bank of Texas grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. American National Bank of Texas now owns 3,408 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% during the second quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC now owns 3,706 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $504,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 15,042 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 815 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.7% in the third quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,028 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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