Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Buys Shares of 99,481 Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Daiichi Life Insurance initiated a position in Abbott Laboratories by purchasing 99,481 shares valued at approximately $9.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.18% of Abbott’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.50. Recent target changes ranged from $102 to $134.
• Abbott exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.31 in adjusted EPS and $12.59 billion in revenue, up 13% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 99,481 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $9,027,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Freemont Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% in the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $30,931,000 after purchasing an additional 48,286 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 25.0% in the first quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 331,920 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $34,078,000 after purchasing an additional 66,422 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at $7,439,000. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 786.0% during the second quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,061 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 12,474 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABT. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.50.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $110.48 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $191.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $103.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.13. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $137.49.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. The business's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.55%.

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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