Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 136,385 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management cut its Abbott Laboratories stake by 77.2%, selling 136,385 shares and retaining 40,171 shares valued at approximately $3.65 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.18% of Abbott.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $119.50; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Abbott exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.31 in EPS and $12.59 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 13% year over year. The company also pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend, equating to a 2.3% yield.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 77.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,171 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 136,385 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $3,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $4,926,279,000 after buying an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,938,892,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,603,607,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,082,524,000. Finally, Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter worth $902,938,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on ABT shares. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott shares outperformed the broader market in the latest session, suggesting continued investor support for the diversified healthcare-products company. The move adds to its gains above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Abbott Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate market comparison reported that Abbott underperformed its competitors during Tuesday’s trading session. The article did not identify a company-specific operational problem, making the relative weakness more relevant to short-term sentiment than to Abbott’s long-term fundamentals. Abbott Laboratories Stock Underperforms Tuesday
• Neutral Sentiment: Vice President John McCoy Jr. sold 27 shares for approximately $2,958. The transaction reduced his direct holdings by only 0.11%, leaving him with 24,549 shares, so it is too small to represent a meaningful change in insider conviction. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: An investor-focused healthcare article mentioned Abbott primarily as the former parent of AbbVie, rather than discussing new developments at ABT. It therefore provides little direct information about Abbott’s near-term earnings or valuation. Abbott Laboratories Company Information

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 1.5%

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $108.81 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $104.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $188.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.59. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $81.97 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.The company had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio 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.

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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