Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Has $4.79 Million Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Smithbridge Asset Management cut its Abbott Laboratories stake by 47.1% in the first quarter, ending with 46,633 shares valued at about $4.79 million.
• Several insiders bought shares recently, including Director Daniel J. Starks and CFO Philip P. Boudreau, which may signal internal confidence in the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive overall, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a $118.42 average price target, though some firms recently lowered targets and Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock to sell.

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE lessened its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 47.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,633 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 41,457 shares during the period. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $4,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories with an Outperform rating and a $121 price target, signaling strong upside potential and renewed Wall Street confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Tandem Diabetes Care launched compatibility for its t:slim X2 insulin pump with Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensor in five international markets, which could expand Abbott’s CGM ecosystem and support diabetes-care sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating on Abbott Laboratories, adding to the positive analyst sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks highlighted Abbott as one of the dividend aristocrats that Wall Street currently likes, reinforcing the view that it remains a favored defensive healthcare name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage compared Abbott with Intuitive Surgical, but the article was more of a broader healthcare-stock debate than a direct catalyst for Abbott’s shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott-related commentary on multi-cancer blood screening and broader healthcare trends is informative for the sector, but it does not appear to be a direct company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Abbott also faced headlines about a closed U.S. criminal probe into its infant-formula plant and a proposed civil settlement, which could remain a legal overhang even if the worst-case risk has eased. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on ABT shares. Weiss Ratings cut Abbott Laboratories from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $118.42.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $92.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $81.97 and a one year high of $137.49. The business's 50-day moving average price is $88.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.62. The company has a market capitalization of $160.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.61.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share 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%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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. Analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.59%.

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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