IFP Advisors Inc Raises Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• IFP Advisors Inc increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 176.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 56,041 shares valued at about $7.0 million.
• Abbott reported quarterly EPS of $1.15, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $11.16 billion and rose 7.8% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target price of $119.43.

IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 176.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,041 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 35,785 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $7,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,868,718,000 after purchasing an additional 4,713,135 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $336,815,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,525,906 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $740,140,000 after buying an additional 1,865,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $8,251,974,000 after buying an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:ABT opened at $88.38 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average is $97.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $139.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.93 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.65.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm'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. Research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on ABT. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

About Abbott Laboratories

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report).

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.