Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 577,561 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.8%, selling 577,561 shares and leaving it with 14,519,346 shares (about a 0.83% stake) valued at roughly $1.82 billion.
• A Chicago jury ordered Abbott to pay $53 million in compensatory damages in a preterm infant formula trial, while short interest jumped ~19.4% in March to ~23.8 million shares, raising litigation and downside risk.
• Wall Street sentiment is an overall "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $134.58, although several firms (Goldman, Oppenheimer, Piper, Evercore) recently trimmed their price targets.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,519,346 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 577,561 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.83% of Abbott Laboratories worth $1,819,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% in the third 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. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,868,718,000 after purchasing an additional 4,713,135 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,500,829 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,804,050,000 after purchasing an additional 499,351 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 7.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 864,531 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 12,032,884 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $1,611,685,000 after purchasing an additional 170,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ABT. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.58.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy on ABT and kept a $137 price target, citing a resilient MedTech and diagnostics mix that supports Abbott's path to 2026 targets. TipRanks: TD Cowen Note
• Positive Sentiment: Citi recently initiated/maintained a Buy on ABT (coverage note reported), providing analyst support that can limit downside from headline risk. Globe & Mail: Citi Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighting Abbott as a dividend-king value/attractive yield may draw income-focused buyers who view current weakness as a buying opportunity. MarketBeat: Dividend King
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott published consumer survey PR on chronic disease prevention (brand/marketing relevance). Useful for positioning but unlikely to move the stock materially in the short term. PR Newswire: Survey
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews note mixed expectations ahead of upcoming earnings (EPS growth expected but edge cases for a beat are limited), so the report could produce volatility but not a clear directional catalyst yet. Yahoo: Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: A Chicago jury ordered Abbott to pay $53 million in compensatory damages in a preterm infant formula trial — a headline legal loss that raises litigation risk and investor concern about reputational and settlement exposure. Reuters: Jury Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in March (up ~19.4% vs. mid‑March), bringing total shorted shares to ~23.8M and a ~1.6 days-to-cover — increased bearish positioning can amplify downward moves on negative headlines.
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore trimmed its price target (reported) and broader healthcare stocks were weaker today, adding sector pressure; analyst and macro pressure can compound headline-driven selling. American Banking News: Evercore PT Cut

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In related 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 transaction of $81,946.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 39,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,526,575.12. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 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 transaction of $102,288.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,918,253.66. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $100.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $108.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $174.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.79. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $99.34 and a 1 year high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. The firm had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.80 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

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

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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