EFG International AG Buys New Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• EFG International AG purchased 12,202 Abbott shares during the second quarter, worth approximately $1.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.18% of Abbott’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with 23 of 27 covering firms rating the stock Strong Buy or Buy and a consensus price target of $119.50. Abbott also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.31 EPS and $12.59 billion in revenue.
• Abbott’s shares recently traded at $108.86, while the company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% yield. Its new ready-to-feed whole-milk infant formula could support nutrition-segment growth, though formula-related advertising scrutiny remains a risk.

EFG International AG purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,202 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,108,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $5,850,000 after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 29,004 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $3,945,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 13.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,894 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 25.6% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,435,683 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $195,267,000 after acquiring an additional 292,547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.50.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $108.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $188.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.23, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.59. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $103.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.09. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $137.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.Abbott Laboratories's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

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

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: New infant formula expands Abbott’s nutrition portfolio. Abbott launched Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk, described as the first commercially sterile, ready-to-feed liquid whole-milk infant formula available in the U.S. The product targets growing parental interest in whole-milk formulas while offering convenience at a price similar to Similac’s powdered formula. Wider distribution and consumer adoption could provide incremental growth for Abbott’s Nutrition segment. Abbott launches whole-milk liquid infant formula
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain optimistic despite relative underperformance. Coverage notes that ABT has lagged the broader healthcare sector over the past year, but Wall Street analysts continue to express confidence in the company’s outlook. Recent earnings also showed revenue growth, an earnings-per-share beat and reaffirmed 2026 guidance, supporting the bullish view. Abbott stock and healthcare-sector performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott is positioning the launch around changing consumer and policy preferences. The whole-milk formula introduction aligns with interest in “Make America Healthy Again” themes, but the financial impact will depend on demand, pricing and market share gains. Abbott and the Make America Healthy Again movement
• Negative Sentiment: Formula-related advertising scrutiny remains a risk. In a challenge brought by Abbott, the National Advertising Division supported certain Kendamil whole-milk claims but recommended that other nutritional, ingredient and heritage claims be modified or discontinued. The decision is not a direct finding against Abbott, but it highlights competitive scrutiny in the infant-formula market. NAD decision on Kendamil infant formula claims

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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