AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Shares Up 3.8% Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares rose 3.8% intraday after Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $278 and kept an overweight rating, with trading volume (~10.2M shares) about 41% above average.
• AbbVie reported Q1 revenue of $15.0B and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance—revenue beat was driven by strong Skyrizi and Rinvoq sales, although quarterly EPS missed at $2.65.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $252.76, though individual firm views and targets vary.

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) shot up 3.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $270.00 to $278.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. AbbVie traded as high as $214.87 and last traded at $211.6640. 10,236,771 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 41% from the average session volume of 7,237,448 shares. The stock had previously closed at $203.89.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on ABBV. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on AbbVie in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $262.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AbbVie in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AbbVie in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Evercore decreased their price target on AbbVie from $232.00 to $228.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $252.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AbbVie news, SVP David Ryan Purdue sold 5,230 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,654 shares in the company, valued at $619,868.24. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 22,381 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $5,147,630.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

AbbVie News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and guidance lift — AbbVie reported Q1 revenue of $15.0B, driven by strong Skyrizi and Rinvoq sales, and raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance, which traders view as confirmation of its post‑Humira growth trajectory. AbbVie tops quarterly expectations (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $278 (overweight), Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed overweight with a $240 target, and Bank of America upgraded ABBV to buy ($234 target). These moves add upward pressure on the stock by increasing buy‑side conviction. Benzinga (Morgan Stanley raise) Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmation (TickerReport)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic innovation outreach — AbbVie funded the AbbVie Biotech Innovators Award in Quebec; RIME Therapeutics received lab space, equipment access and AbbVie mentorship. This highlights AbbVie’s effort to bolster external R&D relationships in immunology and could support long‑term pipeline development. AbbVie and adMare award RIME Therapeutics (GlobeNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Allergan Aesthetics charitable program — a May promotional/philanthropic push that is PR‑positive but unlikely to move fundamentals in the near term. Allergan Aesthetics philanthropic effort (PR Newswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate trims — Erste Group trimmed its FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates slightly, signaling some analyst-level uncertainty about near‑term profit trajectory despite revenue strength. That can temper enthusiasm and suggests investors should watch upcoming margins and IPR&D/milestone impacts. Erste Group cuts EPS estimates (MarketBeat)

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABBV. Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new position in AbbVie during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AbbVie in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Imprint Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of AbbVie by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AbbVie during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company's stock.

AbbVie Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $374.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $214.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.67.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.72 billion. AbbVie had a negative return on equity of 1,579.75% and a net margin of 6.91%.The company's revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AbbVie Inc. will post 14.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. AbbVie's dividend payout ratio is currently 293.22%.

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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