J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 70,140 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG sharply reduced its Abbott Laboratories stake by 85.2% in the first quarter, selling 70,140 shares and leaving it with 12,136 shares worth about $1.25 million.
• Abbott reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.15 versus $1.14 expected and revenue of $11.16 billion, up 7.8% year over year.
• The company also highlighted its dividend, announcing a quarterly payout of $0.63 per share, or $2.52 annualized, for a 2.8% yield.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lowered its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 85.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,136 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 70,140 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the fourth 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 period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,853,782 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $10,004,880,000 after buying an additional 1,627,791 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,229,445 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $7,922,519,000 after acquiring an additional 1,614,706 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 39,005,451 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 39,169,239 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $4,907,523,000 after acquiring an additional 400,400 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, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT stock opened at $88.95 on Wednesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $137.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $89.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.61. The company has a market capitalization of $154.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.61. 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 (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partners dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Argus decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $117.61.

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.

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