Jones Kertz & Associates Inc. Buys New Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Jones Kertz & Associates bought a new stake of 11,846 shares in Abbott Laboratories in Q4 (≈$1.48M), and overall institutional investors own about 75.18% of the stock.
• Abbott slightly beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.15 vs. $1.14; revenue $11.16B vs. $10.99B) and set FY‑2026 guidance of $5.38–$5.58 EPS (Q2: $1.25–$1.31), but management’s guidance cut—citing a mild flu season and acquisition costs—triggered a sharp post‑earnings sell‑off and several price‑target trims.
• Abbott declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 (annualized $2.52), implying a yield of about 2.6% with an ex‑dividend date of April 15 and payment on May 15.

Jones Kertz & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,846 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,484,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 33,661 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $4,217,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 19,528 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $2,447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462 shares in the last quarter. Bolthouse Investments LLC raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Bolthouse Investments LLC now owns 7,975 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 9,568 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 55 North Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at $271,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT stock opened at $96.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $107.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.29. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $139.06. The firm has a market cap of $167.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.71% and a net margin of 13.90%.The business had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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 5.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.59%.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: New long‑term diagnostics data and an AACR award for Abbott’s CancerGuard program reinforce its multi‑cancer early‑detection strategy, strengthening the company’s growth story in diagnostics. Abbott’s CancerGuard Progress Adds New Dimension To Diagnostics Growth Story
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays maintained an Overweight rating with a $143 target (slightly trimmed from $144), signaling institutional conviction that shares offer meaningful upside versus current levels. Barclays Overweight / PT $143
• Positive Sentiment: Several retail/coverage pieces are flagging ABT as a buy on the pullback, highlighting its diversified healthcare franchise and positioning the sell‑off as a potential long‑term buying opportunity. Market Crash: 2 Healthcare Stocks Worth Loading Up on at a Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (247WallStreet and others) frames today’s lower price as a possible entry point for patient investors but stresses that suitability depends on time horizon and tolerance for near‑term uncertainty. Has the Abbott Laboratories Sell-Off Finally Created an Entry Point?
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results: adjusted EPS and revenue beat estimates, but management cut full‑year guidance citing a mild flu season and acquisition costs. That guidance cut triggered a sharp post‑earnings sell‑off and spurred social‑media debate — a near‑term catalyst for continued volatility. Abbott Laboratories Stock (ABT) Opinions on Q1 Earnings and Guidance Cut
• Negative Sentiment: A broad set of sell‑side firms trimmed price targets in the last 24 hours (examples include Mizuho, Piper, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer and others), reflecting reduced near‑term visibility and weighing on sentiment despite some buy ratings remaining. Oppenheimer Cuts Abbott Laboratories Price Target

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at $16,918,253.66. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $67,614.30. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 24,628 shares in the company, valued at $2,846,504.24. The trade was a 2.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ABT shares. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $131.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.95.

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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