AbbVie Inc. $ABBV Stake Decreased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel reduced its AbbVie stake by 2% in the third quarter, selling 6,901 shares and retaining 334,519 shares valued at approximately $87.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.23% of AbbVie.
• AbbVie reported quarterly EPS of $3.65, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 10.2% year over year to $16.99 billion. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $3.84–$3.88.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $277.18. AbbVie also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.73 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Free Report) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 334,519 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,901 shares during the period. AbbVie comprises 2.5% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in AbbVie were worth $87,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of AbbVie by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 82,596,748 shares of the company's stock worth $20,784,646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379,232 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in AbbVie by 0.7% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 14,267,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,590,323,000 after purchasing an additional 106,091 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in AbbVie in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,905,952,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in AbbVie by 13.0% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,772,949 shares of the company's stock worth $2,710,905,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in AbbVie by 2.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 10,698,095 shares of the company's stock worth $2,326,728,000 after purchasing an additional 247,689 shares in the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AbbVie news, EVP Nicholas Donoghoe sold 32,710 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $8,177,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 74,430 shares in the company, valued at $18,607,500. This represents a 30.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AbbVie Trading Up 3.4%

ABBV stock opened at $283.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $501.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.11, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.24. AbbVie Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.75 and a twelve month high of $285.40. The company's 50 day moving average is $261.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.38.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $16.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.80 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 9.80% and a negative return on equity of 422.07%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.97 EPS. AbbVie has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.840-3.880 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AbbVie Inc. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. AbbVie's payout ratio is 195.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on AbbVie from $244.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on AbbVie from $285.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings raised AbbVie from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on AbbVie from $258.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $277.18.

Key Stories Impacting AbbVie

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 AFFIRM data showed subcutaneous SKYRIZI improved clinical and endoscopic outcomes in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease. The results could support regulatory review of a more convenient formulation and strengthen AbbVie’s post-Humira growth outlook. AbbVie Presents New Phase 3 AFFIRM Data
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its Outperform rating and maintained a $280 price target, while Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $16.34 from $16.19 and kept a Buy rating. RBC Reaffirms Outperform Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity—86,296 calls purchased, roughly 445% above average volume—signals increased bullish speculative interest, although options activity is not a fundamental indicator.
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare stocks broadly rallied, providing a favorable sector backdrop. Investors are also looking ahead to AbbVie’s October 30 earnings report, with expectations that Rinvoq, Skyrizi and Vraylar will support revenue growth. Lilly, Merck, AbbVie Stocks Surge

About AbbVie

AbbVie Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of serious and chronic health conditions. Its portfolio spans immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, aesthetics, gastroenterology and women's health.

The company's products include the immunology medicines Skyrizi and Rinvoq; neuroscience treatments such as Vraylar, Ubrelvy and Qulipta; and oncology medicines including Imbruvica and Venclexta. AbbVie also markets Botox Cosmetic and Botox Therapeutic, as well as other products for aesthetics, eye care and specialty care.

AbbVie was established in 2013 as an independent, publicly traded company following its separation from Abbott Laboratories.

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