Claris Financial LLC Makes New $1.79 Million Investment in AbbVie Inc. $ABBV

Key Points

• Claris Financial LLC initiated a new position in AbbVie, buying 7,840 shares valued at about $1.79 million in the fourth quarter. AbbVie now accounts for roughly 1.0% of Claris’s portfolio.
• AbbVie recently posted a quarterly dividend of $1.73 per share and continues to draw support from investors and analysts, with multiple firms upgrading the stock and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• The company’s pipeline received a boost from new SKINVIVE approval, encouraging CLL trial results, and Phase 3 data for a venetoclax-based combination, though a legal/regulatory overhang remains from HHS seeking dismissal of AbbVie’s drug-discount lawsuit.

Claris Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,791,000. AbbVie comprises about 1.0% of Claris Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chelsea Counsel Co. purchased a new stake in AbbVie in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AbbVie during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AbbVie in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC increased its stake in AbbVie by 56.2% in the 4th quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX bought a new position in shares of AbbVie in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.23% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting AbbVie

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.73 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and highlighting the company’s ability to generate strong cash flow. AbbVie Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie also got a regulatory boost with new SKINVIVE approval and reported encouraging CLL trial results, which support the company’s oncology and aesthetics growth pipeline. AbbVie (ABBV) Lands New SKINVIVE Approval As CLL Trial Results Impress
• Positive Sentiment: The company presented new Phase 3 data on a venetoclax-based combination and highlighted its late-stage ABBV-400 colorectal cancer program, adding to investor confidence in AbbVie’s long-term pipeline. AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) Presents Data on Fixed-Duration Venetoclax-Based Combination
• Neutral Sentiment: AbbVie has been attracting extra trader attention recently, but the stock’s near-term direction still depends on whether dividend income and pipeline progress can outweigh broader market weakness and legal uncertainty. AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest overhang is a reported HHS move to ask a court to dismiss AbbVie’s lawsuit over drug-discount patients, which could increase regulatory and legal pressure on the stock. HHS Asks Court to Toss AbbVie Suit Over Drug Discount Patients

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America upgraded AbbVie from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $234.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. DZ Bank raised shares of AbbVie from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AbbVie currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.43.

AbbVie Price Performance

AbbVie stock opened at $216.63 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $212.08 and its 200 day moving average is $218.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $382.74 billion, a PE ratio of 106.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.32. AbbVie Inc. has a one year low of $181.73 and a one year high of $244.81.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.72 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 5.79% and a negative return on equity of 576.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AbbVie Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AbbVie Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. AbbVie's payout ratio is 340.89%.

About AbbVie

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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