Bell Asset Management Ltd Sells 15,436 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Bell Asset Management cut its Abbott Laboratories position by 32.3% in the third quarter, selling 15,436 shares and retaining 32,308 shares worth approximately $3.19 million.
• Institutional investors own 75.18% of Abbott’s stock, with major holders including BlackRock and State Street increasing their positions.
• Abbott reported quarterly revenue growth of 13% and earnings above expectations. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $118.88, while the company pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend yielding about 2.6%.

Bell Asset Management Ltd trimmed its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 32.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,308 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 15,436 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up approximately 1.2% of Bell Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $3,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 4.6% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 152,563,476 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $13,843,610,000 after purchasing an additional 6,769,518 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 80,926,234 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $7,343,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350,766 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $4,926,279,000 after buying an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,887,109 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $2,241,076,000 after buying an additional 118,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,603,607,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a $120 price target, implying roughly 22% upside from the referenced share price. The bullish initiation adds fresh institutional support and reflects confidence in Abbott’s diversified medical-device and healthcare portfolio. Abbott Laboratories Now Covered by Analysts at Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott received FDA clearance for updates to its CardioMEMS heart-failure system. The CardioGuide HF App and Dynamic Treatment Plan allow patients to view pulmonary artery pressure data and receive clinician-guided medication adjustments, strengthening Abbott’s connected-care and remote-monitoring strategy. FDA-Approved CardioMEMS App Integration
• Positive Sentiment: The company launched Ensure Max Protein 3-in-1 Muscle Support, combining protein, creatine and HMB. The product expands Abbott’s consumer-health offering and targets growing demand for mainstream muscle and wellness products. Abbott Introduces Ensure Max Protein 3-in-1 Muscle Support
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also announced an exclusive U.S. partnership connecting its Lingo glucose-monitoring wearable with Berry Street’s live nutrition coaching, potentially increasing adoption of its consumer diabetes and metabolic-health products. Abbott Ties Glucose Tracking to Live Nutrition Coaching
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s average brokerage recommendation is equivalent to Buy, while Zacks reported elevated investor attention. However, the articles caution that analyst recommendations can be overly optimistic and are not, by themselves, a strong valuation signal. Is It Worth Investing in Abbott Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary notes that Abbott is not showing rapid growth and trades at a relatively demanding earnings multiple. Its long record of quarterly dividend payments—411 consecutive quarters—supports the income case, but slower growth may limit near-term upside. Is Abbott Laboratories a Dividend Bargain After Its 2026 Selloff?

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.3%

ABT stock opened at $98.46 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $135.13. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $106.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.37 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.59.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is currently 81.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ABT shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Abbott Laboratories from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $119.00 to $127.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $118.88.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

Abbott Laboratories NYSE: ABT is a diversified healthcare company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, diagnostic products, nutritional products and branded generic pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1888 by Wallace C. Abbott, the company serves healthcare providers, institutions, retailers and consumers worldwide.

Abbott's medical device portfolio includes cardiovascular products, such as coronary stents, structural heart systems and heart failure devices, as well as diabetes-care technologies, including the FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system.

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