Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Boosts Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 40.3% in Q4, adding 251,441 shares to bring its total to 875,340 shares worth about $109.7 million.
• Insider buying was notable, with Director Daniel J. Starks purchasing 10,000 shares and CFO Philip P. Boudreau buying 2,200 shares in April, signaling confidence from management.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive overall: several firms cut price targets, but the stock still carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus and Abbott recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates while reaffirming FY2026 guidance.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 40.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 875,340 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after acquiring an additional 251,441 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.05% of Abbott Laboratories worth $109,671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Destination Wealth Management raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 245,217 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $30,723,000 after buying an additional 2,683 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,044 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,885,000 after buying an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $14,787,000. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 63,458 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $7,951,000 after buying an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ABT. Citigroup cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. 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 note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.38.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott declared its 410th consecutive quarterly dividend, underscoring its long track record of returning cash to shareholders. The board approved a 63-cent per share quarterly dividend. Abbott declares 410th consecutive quarterly dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank nudged its FY2026 EPS estimate higher for Abbott, aligning with the current consensus of $5.48 per share, which suggests analysts still see stable earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also continues to highlight growth opportunities in diabetes care and medtech, including an expanded MiniMed collaboration and recent CE Mark approval for Libre Duo, supporting the company’s innovation story.
• Neutral Sentiment: Research coverage remains mixed, with one Seeking Alpha piece calling Abbott “structurally undervalued,” but this is opinion-based and not a direct catalyst. Abbott Laboratories Remains Structurally Undervalued
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group also trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate slightly to $6.04 from $6.05, a very small revision that should have limited impact on sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Star51 Capital’s first close of its medtech fund included Abbott as a lead backer, reinforcing Abbott’s strategic interest in healthcare innovation, though the direct stock impact is likely modest.
• Negative Sentiment: BofA cut its price target on Abbott from $120 to $102, signaling less upside than before and likely adding to investor caution. BofA adjusts price target on Abbott Laboratories to 102 from 120
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading has shown Abbott slipping more than the broader market, reflecting ongoing weakness in the shares and investor concern over valuation versus slower near-term momentum. Abbott (ABT) Dips More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Portfolio filings showing Elfun Trusts exited Abbott may also add a small amount of selling pressure, though this is not a major fundamental development. Elfun Trusts Exits Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE:ABT opened at $87.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.08 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.46 and a 200-day moving average of $107.98. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $139.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

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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