DNB Asset Management AS Raises Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 479,706 shares valued at about $60.1 million.
• Abbott reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.15 versus the $1.14 estimate and revenue of $11.16 billion, up 7.8% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $5.38 to $5.58 EPS.
• Despite the earnings beat, Abbott shares were trading near $84.49, well below recent analyst targets, and several firms trimmed price objectives while keeping generally positive ratings. The stock also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.63, yielding about 3.0%.

DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 479,706 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 15,578 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $60,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 308 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $328,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 64.1% during the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 50,704 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $6,352,000 after acquiring an additional 19,798 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position 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 last quarter. Finally, Maxele Advisors LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Maxele Advisors LLC now owns 11,406 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $67,614.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 24,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,846,504.24. This trade represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 146,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,918,253.66. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 in the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $84.49 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $81.97 and a one year high of $139.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business's fifty day moving average price is $99.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.65.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ABT. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Abbott Laboratories from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.43.

Abbott Laboratories Company 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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