KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its Abbott Laboratories stake by 57.5% in the first quarter, selling 1.33 million shares and ending with 986,110 shares worth about $101.2 million.
• Abbott’s latest results were strong: the company beat Q2 earnings expectations and raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45–$5.60, helped by growth across multiple business lines.
• Analysts have turned more positive after the earnings update, with several firms lifting targets or reiterating bullish ratings; the stock’s consensus view remains Moderate Buy with an average target of $118.61.

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 57.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 986,110 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 1,334,196 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.06% of Abbott Laboratories worth $101,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Freemont Management S.A. increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% during the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 7,100 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $116,580,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $30,931,000 after buying an additional 48,286 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,366,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 671,743 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $84,163,000 after buying an additional 13,543 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABT. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $118.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Daiwa Securities Group cut shares of Abbott Laboratories from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.61.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott beat Q2 earnings expectations and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, signaling better profit momentum for the rest of the year. Abbott Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to stronger second-half demand across multiple businesses, including nutrition, medical devices, diagnostics, and diabetes care, which supports a faster growth profile. ABT Q2 Earnings Call Flags Stronger Second-Half Setup
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the results, with JPMorgan, Citi, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, TD Cowen, BTIG, and RBC all lifting targets or reaffirming bullish views. These Analysts Increase Their Forecasts On Abbott Following Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT opened at $100.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $175.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.61. The business's 50 day moving average price is $89.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.01. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $12.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 11.65%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.55%.

Abbott Laboratories Company 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.