Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Increases Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its Abbott Laboratories stake by 77.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 2.55 million shares worth about $319.1 million. Abbott now represents roughly 0.9% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Abbott reported better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $1.15 per share on $11.16 billion in revenue, with revenue up 7.8% year over year. The company also issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.38 to 5.58.
• Abbott declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, equivalent to $2.52 annually and a 3.0% yield. Meanwhile, analysts remain broadly constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $119.43.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 77.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,546,139 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after buying an additional 1,113,769 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories accounts for approximately 0.9% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 0.15% of Abbott Laboratories worth $319,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $102,288.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at $16,918,253.66. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $70,850.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares in the company, valued at $12,053,953.78. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

ABT opened at $83.83 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.85. The firm has a market cap of $146.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $81.97 and a twelve month high of $139.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ABT shares. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered shares of Abbott Laboratories from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $92.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $131.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.43.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent insider-buying coverage highlighted Abbott alongside other companies with insider purchases, which can be interpreted as a sign of confidence from management or executives. Insider Trades: Okta and Abbott See Buys, Micron Insiders Sell (ABT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains relatively constructive, with articles noting that analysts are still broadly optimistic on Abbott and that the stock’s dividend yield has risen to a decade-high level, which may attract value-oriented investors. Is Abbott (ABT) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott is also being highlighted in broader healthcare and regenerative-medicine market research, reinforcing that it remains a major player in long-term growth markets, though this is not an immediate stock catalyst. Australia Regenerative Medicine Market Research Trends and Forecasts Report 2026-2035 Featuring Prominent Players Such as Abbott Laboratories, Astellas Pharma, and Roche
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Abbott’s post-earnings weakness, including concerns about Exact Sciences dilution, legal risks, and soft diagnostics trends, which have weighed on sentiment and helped keep shares depressed. Abbott Stock at 52-Week Low After Q1 Earnings: Book Profits or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Older commentary also pointed to Abbott trading at a low valuation after the Exact Sciences deal and legal judgments, suggesting the market is still discounting uncertainty around earnings quality and integration costs. Abbott’s dividend yield near decade peak, signaling rare buying opportunity

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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