KBC Group NV Grows Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• KBC Group NV more than doubled its stake in Abbott, increasing holdings by 127.3% in Q4 to 2,320,306 shares worth about $290.7 million, making ABT its 21st largest position.
• Abbott's latest quarter delivered $1.50 EPS (in line with estimates) and revenue of $11.46 billion (below the $11.80B consensus), and the company set Q1 2026 guidance of 1.120–1.180 EPS and FY2026 guidance of 5.550–5.800 EPS.
• Abbott declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share (annualized $2.52, ~2.5% yield), while analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price near $134.58.

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 127.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,320,306 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 1,299,294 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories accounts for approximately 0.7% of KBC Group NV's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. KBC Group NV owned about 0.13% of Abbott Laboratories worth $290,711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $8,251,974,000 after buying an additional 1,478,076 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,096,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $2,022,080,000 after buying an additional 821,325 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,868,718,000 after acquiring an additional 4,713,135 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,500,829 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,804,050,000 after acquiring an additional 499,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 7.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 12,900,318 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,727,869,000 after acquiring an additional 864,531 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE ABT opened at $101.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $176.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.79. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $99.05 and a 1-year high of $139.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.45 and a 200-day moving average of $119.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The business had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.120-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.550-5.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $81,946.22. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,526,575.12. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 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 transaction of $70,850.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.58.

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.

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