Conning Inc. Grows Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Conning Inc. increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 21,178 shares and bringing its total holding to 274,468 shares worth about $34.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with investors such as Vanguard, Invesco, and Capital International also boosting positions; institutions now own about 75.18% of Abbott’s stock.
• Abbott posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it reaffirmed FY2026 and Q2 guidance while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share for a 3.0% annualized yield.

Conning Inc. increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 274,468 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after buying an additional 21,178 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories comprises approximately 1.2% of Conning Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $34,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ABT. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,868,718,000 after purchasing an additional 4,713,135 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $336,815,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,525,906 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $740,140,000 after buying an additional 1,865,250 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $8,251,974,000 after buying an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Leerink Partners cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Freedom Capital raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Daiwa Securities Group downgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $92.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks highlighted Abbott as one of three “Strong Buy” Dividend Aristocrat stocks, which can support the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors despite a high payout ratio. 3 ‘Strong Buy’ Dividend Aristocrat Stocks with 100%+ Payout Ratios, 5/14/26
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer called Abbott one of the “greatest American companies” while comparing the selloff to the 1999 market backdrop, a comment that may help sentiment but does not change fundamentals. Jim Cramer Compares the Current Selloff in Abbott Labs to the 1999 Market Environment
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent insider-trading coverage noted buying activity around Abbott, which can be viewed as a modest confidence signal but is not necessarily a major catalyst on its own. Insider Trades: Okta and Abbott See Buys, Micron Insiders Sell (ABT)
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns remain centered on Abbott’s post-earnings weakness, with commentary pointing to Exact Sciences dilution, legal risks, and softer Diagnostics trends as reasons the shares have been pressured. Abbott Stock at 52-Week Low After Q1 Earnings: Book Profits or Hold?

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 1.2%

ABT stock opened at $84.80 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $99.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.55. The stock has a market cap of $147.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $81.97 and a twelve month high of $139.06.

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

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend 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 70.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $70,850.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. The trade was a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

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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