Phoenix Financial Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, lifting holdings to 50,704 shares valued at about $6.35 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added small positions, and 75.18% of Abbott’s stock is now held by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Abbott’s latest earnings beat expectations, but analysts have cut price targets across several firms; the stock has also faced pressure from post-earnings concerns over diagnostics trends and other risks.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,704 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after acquiring an additional 19,798 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $6,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $38,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks highlighted Abbott as one of three “Strong Buy” Dividend Aristocrat stocks, which can support the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors despite a high payout ratio. 3 ‘Strong Buy’ Dividend Aristocrat Stocks with 100%+ Payout Ratios, 5/14/26
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer called Abbott one of the “greatest American companies” while comparing the selloff to the 1999 market backdrop, a comment that may help sentiment but does not change fundamentals. Jim Cramer Compares the Current Selloff in Abbott Labs to the 1999 Market Environment
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent insider-trading coverage noted buying activity around Abbott, which can be viewed as a modest confidence signal but is not necessarily a major catalyst on its own. Insider Trades: Okta and Abbott See Buys, Micron Insiders Sell (ABT)
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns remain centered on Abbott’s post-earnings weakness, with commentary pointing to Exact Sciences dilution, legal risks, and softer Diagnostics trends as reasons the shares have been pressured. Abbott Stock at 52-Week Low After Q1 Earnings: Book Profits or Hold?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ABT. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the company'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 completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 in the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $84.80 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $147.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.65. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $139.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $99.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.55.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued 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 yield of 3.0%. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.59%.

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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