Madison Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 97,681 shares valued at about $12.2 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to ABT, and the article notes that 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Abbott reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $1.15 and revenue of $11.16 billion, while also maintaining a 3.0% dividend yield and receiving a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy.

Madison Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 16.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,681 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after buying an additional 13,848 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $12,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ABT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $5,850,000 after buying an additional 4,755 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. United Bank boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 7.4% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 29,004 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $3,945,000 after buying an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,894 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 25.6% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,435,683 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $195,267,000 after buying an additional 292,547 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent insider-buying coverage highlighted Abbott alongside other companies with insider purchases, which can be interpreted as a sign of confidence from management or executives. Insider Trades: Okta and Abbott See Buys, Micron Insiders Sell (ABT)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains relatively constructive, with articles noting that analysts are still broadly optimistic on Abbott and that the stock’s dividend yield has risen to a decade-high level, which may attract value-oriented investors. Is Abbott (ABT) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott is also being highlighted in broader healthcare and regenerative-medicine market research, reinforcing that it remains a major player in long-term growth markets, though this is not an immediate stock catalyst. Australia Regenerative Medicine Market Research Trends and Forecasts Report 2026-2035 Featuring Prominent Players Such as Abbott Laboratories, Astellas Pharma, and Roche
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Abbott’s post-earnings weakness, including concerns about Exact Sciences dilution, legal risks, and soft diagnostics trends, which have weighed on sentiment and helped keep shares depressed. Abbott Stock at 52-Week Low After Q1 Earnings: Book Profits or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Older commentary also pointed to Abbott trading at a low valuation after the Exact Sciences deal and legal judgments, suggesting the market is still discounting uncertainty around earnings quality and integration costs. Abbott’s dividend yield near decade peak, signaling rare buying opportunity

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $83.83 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $146.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $100.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.85. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $81.97 and a 1 year high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.Abbott Laboratories's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. 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. On average, analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 70.59%.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau purchased 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $67,614.30. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 24,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,846,504.24. This trade represents a 2.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Leerink Partners decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $131.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Monday, April 27th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

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.