Abbott Laboratories $ABT Stock: Park Avenue Securities LLC Grows Holdings

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities increased its Abbott Laboratories position by 20.4% in the third quarter to 82,356 shares valued at approximately $8.14 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of ABT’s outstanding shares.
• Abbott’s latest quarterly results met expectations, with earnings of $1.42 per share and revenue of $13.01 billion, up 14.5% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, representing a 2.5% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $118.32, although several firms recently lowered targets and Argus downgraded the stock to “Hold.” New diagnostics products and a planned Nutrition segment spin-off offer potential growth, while demand, litigation and interest-rate risks remain concerns.

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 20.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,356 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 13,949 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $8,139,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ABT. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,399 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,818,000 after purchasing an additional 3,177 shares in the last quarter. Sunesis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $932,000. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 28,792 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $2,846,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Leo Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $316,000. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at approximately $241,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott launched a next-generation Oncodetect test designed to detect residual cancer disease, expanding its diagnostics portfolio and potentially supporting longer-term growth in oncology testing. Abbott Launches Next-Generation Oncodetect Test
• Positive Sentiment: The planned spin-off of Abbott’s Nutrition segment, which generates approximately $8.5 billion in annual sales, could allow the remaining company and the new standalone business to pursue more focused strategies. Abbott has appointed Daniel Salvadori to lead the future Nutrition company. What Could Abbott Laboratories Spin Off Mean for Its Future Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott received approximately $23.9 million in net ETF buying, indicating some continued institutional demand for ABT shares despite recent volatility. Abbott Sees $23.9 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott is included in coverage of Europe’s medical foods market, which is projected to grow from $6.5 billion in 2026 to $7.9 billion by 2033. The outlook highlights a long-term opportunity for Abbott’s specialized nutrition business, though it does not represent new company-specific revenue. Europe Medical Foods Market Strategic Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Argus Research downgraded Abbott from “Buy” to “Hold,” reportedly citing a guidance cut. The change removes a bullish rating catalyst and reinforces investor concerns about near-term demand and earnings visibility. Abbott Downgraded at Argus on Guidance Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Higher interest-rate expectations are creating pressure on richly valued quality-growth stocks such as Abbott, as elevated rates can reduce the value investors assign to future earnings. Demand headwinds and litigation risks are also cited as concerns. Abbott Demand Headwinds and Litigation Risks

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ABT shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $118.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $122.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $118.32.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $102.66 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $104.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.26. The company has a market cap of $177.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Abbott Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $81.97 and a fifty-two week high of $132.02.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The healthcare product maker reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42. The business had revenue of $13.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 17.97%. The firm's revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is presently 94.03%.

About Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of medical products and services. Founded in 1888 by Wallace C. Abbott, the company is headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, and serves patients, healthcare providers and consumers in markets around the world.

Abbott operates across four principal businesses: medical devices, diagnostics, nutrition and established pharmaceutical products. Its offerings include glucose-monitoring systems such as FreeStyle Libre; cardiovascular devices, including stents and structural heart products; laboratory and point-of-care diagnostic systems; and branded generic medicines in areas such as gastroenterology, women's health and cardiometabolic care.

The company's nutrition portfolio includes infant and pediatric products such as Similac and PediaSure, adult nutritional products such as Ensure, and rehydration products such as Pedialyte.

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