Merit Financial Group LLC Has $21.32 Million Stake in AbbVie Inc. $ABBV

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group increased its stake in AbbVie by 13.7% in Q4 to 93,295 shares worth $21.32 million, and institutional investors own roughly 70.23% of the company.
• AbbVie has several potential near‑term catalysts, including a head‑to‑head Phase 4 psoriasis study, a Phase 1 trial for obesity drug ABBV‑295, and a ~$650M upfront deal for RC148 that could expand its oncology/rare‑disease pipeline.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $1.73 (annualized $6.92, yield ~3.3%) despite a high payout ratio (~293%); analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $253 while the stock trades below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages.

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,295 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,253 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in AbbVie were worth $21,317,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ABBV. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in AbbVie by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 22,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,072,000 after purchasing an additional 3,401 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AbbVie by 72.7% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,279 shares of the company's stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 3,064 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of AbbVie by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 16,466 shares of the company's stock worth $3,056,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 120,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,281,000 after purchasing an additional 5,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AbbVie by 117.3% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,135,034 shares of the company's stock worth $210,685,000 after buying an additional 612,702 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company's stock.

Key AbbVie News

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Motley Fool says ABBV is a "no‑brainer" buy on dips, highlighting its high dividend, cash flow and defensive pharma profile as reasons value/dividend investors should buy weakness. Why AbbVie Is a No-Brainer Stock to Buy on the Dip
• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie announced head‑to‑head Phase 4 psoriasis study updates — a potential near‑term clinical catalyst that could influence commercial positioning in immunology if results favor AbbVie’s therapy. AbbVie’s Head-to-Head Psoriasis Study Sets Up New Catalyst for ABBV Investors
• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie kicked off a Phase 1 trial for ABBV‑295 (obesity), signalling a strategic push into the high‑growth weight‑loss market where success could materially expand future revenue streams. AbbVie Steps Deeper Into Obesity Market With New Phase 1 ABBV-295 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: AbbVie paid an upfront of ~$650M to RemeGen for global rights to RC148 — a sizeable bolt‑on that strengthens the company’s oncology/rare disease pipeline (near‑term cash outflow but potential long‑term value). RemeGen Receives US$650 Million Upfront from AbbVie for RC148 Global Rights
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore ISI trimmed its price target slightly ($233→$232) but kept an Outperform rating — a minor analyst tweak that maintains institutional conviction. Evercore ISI Tweaks AbbVie (ABBV) Estimates, Lowers Price Target Marginally
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector pieces and market reports (value stock roundups; thyroid‑eye‑disease market research) include AbbVie as a key player — these reinforce investor awareness but don't move fundamentals immediately. 1 Value Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 That Underwhelm Thyroid Eye Disease Treatment Market Research Report 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Technicals are a headwind: the stock is trading below both the 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages, which can pressure short‑term sentiment and limit upside until price recovers those levels.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 22,381 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $5,147,630.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,137 shares in the company, valued at $8,771,510. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP David Ryan Purdue sold 5,230 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.56, for a total transaction of $1,221,518.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,868.24. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ABBV. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of AbbVie from $289.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $223.00 price target on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group decreased their price target on AbbVie from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on AbbVie in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore cut their target price on AbbVie from $232.00 to $228.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AbbVie has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.00.

AbbVie Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE ABBV opened at $209.00 on Friday. AbbVie Inc. has a 52 week low of $168.54 and a 52 week high of $244.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $219.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $223.67. The company has a market cap of $369.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.38.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $16.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.39 billion. AbbVie had a negative return on equity of 1,579.75% and a net margin of 6.91%.AbbVie's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. AbbVie has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.370-14.570 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.970-3.010 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. AbbVie's payout ratio is presently 293.22%.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie's product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women's health.

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