Primecap Management Co. CA Takes Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Primecap Management acquired 761,900 Abbott shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $69.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.18% of ABT.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $119.50. Recent quarterly results beat expectations, with revenue rising 13% year over year and 2026 earnings guidance reaffirmed.
• Abbott launched a ready-to-feed whole-milk Similac infant formula, potentially expanding its nutrition business, though formula-related advertising scrutiny remains a competitive risk. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.63, equating to a 2.3% yield.

Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 761,900 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $69,135,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ABT. Nia Impact Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% during the second quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC now owns 3,706 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 1,031 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Eley Financial Management Inc grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 10,817 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,435 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.9% during the third quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 3,301 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ABT. Weiss Ratings upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $121.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.50.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: New infant formula expands Abbott’s nutrition portfolio. Abbott launched Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk, described as the first commercially sterile, ready-to-feed liquid whole-milk infant formula available in the U.S. The product targets growing parental interest in whole-milk formulas while offering convenience at a price similar to Similac’s powdered formula. Wider distribution and consumer adoption could provide incremental growth for Abbott’s Nutrition segment. Abbott launches whole-milk liquid infant formula
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain optimistic despite relative underperformance. Coverage notes that ABT has lagged the broader healthcare sector over the past year, but Wall Street analysts continue to express confidence in the company’s outlook. Recent earnings also showed revenue growth, an earnings-per-share beat and reaffirmed 2026 guidance, supporting the bullish view. Abbott stock and healthcare-sector performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott is positioning the launch around changing consumer and policy preferences. The whole-milk formula introduction aligns with interest in “Make America Healthy Again” themes, but the financial impact will depend on demand, pricing and market share gains. Abbott and the Make America Healthy Again movement
• Negative Sentiment: Formula-related advertising scrutiny remains a risk. In a challenge brought by Abbott, the National Advertising Division supported certain Kendamil whole-milk claims but recommended that other nutritional, ingredient and heritage claims be modified or discontinued. The decision is not a direct finding against Abbott, but it highlights competitive scrutiny in the infant-formula market. NAD decision on Kendamil infant formula claims

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT opened at $108.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $103.43 and a 200-day moving average of $100.09. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $81.97 and a one year high of $137.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $188.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.59.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.The business had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.55%.

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source