AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from 26 analysts (16 buy, 8 hold, 2 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target of $252.90 and several recent upward price‑target revisions (e.g., Morgan Stanley $278, Canaccord $265, Guggenheim $249).
• Q1 earnings beat and guidance raise—AbbVie topped estimates, lifted its 2026 outlook, and said immunology drugs (Skyrizi, Rinvoq) are offsetting Humira declines, which spurred sell‑side upgrades.
• Mixed investor signals: notable insider selling was disclosed (EVP Perry Siatis and SVP David Purdue sold shares), while large institutional moves include Norges Bank’s new ~$5.87 billion stake and overall institutional ownership of 70.23%.

Shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $252.9048.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABBV. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of AbbVie from $270.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of AbbVie in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of AbbVie from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $223.00 price objective on shares of AbbVie in a report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Insider Transactions at AbbVie

In other AbbVie news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 22,381 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $5,147,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,771,510. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP David Ryan Purdue sold 5,230 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.56, for a total transaction of $1,221,518.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,654 shares of the company's stock, valued at $619,868.24. This represents a 66.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of AbbVie

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AbbVie during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,865,055,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 457.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,536,901 shares of the company's stock worth $2,439,714,000 after acquiring an additional 8,646,424 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 13,071,444 shares of the company's stock worth $2,986,777,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,161 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 914.6% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 5,444,930 shares of the company's stock worth $1,244,112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,908,260 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 44,629,980 shares of the company's stock worth $10,179,099,000 after acquiring an additional 4,190,487 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting AbbVie

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance lift — AbbVie topped Q1 estimates, raised its 2026 outlook and said immunology drugs (Skyrizi, Rinvoq) are offsetting Humira declines. This is the core positive catalyst supporting analyst upgrades. Seeking Alpha: AbbVie hikes 2026 outlook BioSpace: AbbVie tops Q1, raises outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised ratings/targets after the results (Morgan Stanley to $278, Canaccord to $265, Guggenheim reaffirm/ $249 PT, Bank of America upgraded to Buy/$234, Cantor reiterated Overweight/$240). These lifts signal renewed analyst conviction in AbbVie’s post‑Humira pivot. Benzinga: analyst moves InsiderMonkey: BofA upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Skyrizi competitive defense — AbbVie outlined how Skyrizi will respond to new J&J plaque‑psoriasis rival Icotyde, reinforcing confidence in market share retention for a key growth driver. FiercePharma: Skyrizi defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate R&D/community engagement — AbbVie awarded the AbbVie Biotech Innovators prize to RIME Therapeutics (Quebec), signalling long‑term commitment to immunology innovation, but limited near‑term financial impact. GlobeNewswire: RIME award
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain jittery despite the beat — WSJ coverage and market commentary highlight that, while results were strong, concerns over Humira erosion, execution risk on acquisitions/pipeline strategy, and valuation keep sentiment cautious and likely drove selling pressure. YouTube/WSJ: Investors still worried
• Negative Sentiment: Pipeline trimming and insider selling — The company discontinued a cancer candidate (noted in Q1 coverage) and recent disclosures show insiders sold shares, which can weigh on near‑term sentiment. BioSpace: discontinued candidate
• Negative Sentiment: Small analyst estimate cuts and mixed institutional flows — Erste trimmed FY2026/27 EPS modestly; recent large institutional portfolio shifts (some big sellers) add uncertainty to demand. These are headwinds for the stock near term. MarketBeat: analyst/flows summary

AbbVie Stock Performance

Shares of ABBV opened at $206.63 on Friday. AbbVie has a 52 week low of $176.57 and a 52 week high of $244.81. The firm has a market cap of $365.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 101.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $214.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.60.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.06. AbbVie had a net margin of 5.79% and a negative return on equity of 911.57%. The business had revenue of $15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.46 EPS. AbbVie's quarterly revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AbbVie will post 14.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. AbbVie's payout ratio is currently 340.89%.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie's product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women's health.

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