Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Boosts Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management increased its Abbott Laboratories stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 360,483 shares valued at about $45.2 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares, while EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares. Overall, insiders sold 3,055 shares over the last quarter.
• Analysts remain constructive on Abbott despite recent price weakness, with multiple firms cutting price targets but keeping buy-equivalent ratings; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $119.43.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 360,483 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 24,455 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $45,165,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 146,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,918,253.66. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ABT. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.43.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott’s Medical Devices segment delivered 8.5% Q1 growth, with electrophysiology, rhythm management, and heart failure products driving gains. That reinforces the company’s long-term growth story and suggests its device portfolio remains a key catalyst for ABT. Abbott's Medical Device Strategy Supports Long-Term Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts remain bullish on Abbott Laboratories despite its recent underperformance versus the broader market, which can help cushion sentiment around the stock. Abbott Laboratories Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy rating on ABT, adding to the view that analysts still see upside potential despite near-term weakness. Wells Fargo Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Abbott to $5.47 from $5.48, which is only a minor change and close to consensus, so the impact looks limited. Abbott Laboratories news item referencing Erste Group Bank estimate reduction
• Negative Sentiment: ABT has underperformed over the past year, and recent share-price weakness has kept investors focused on whether the stock is now cheap rather than on a strong near-term rebound. Is Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Now Offering Value After Recent Share Price Weakness?

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

ABT opened at $84.24 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $102.69 and a 200 day moving average of $115.09. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $84.08 and a 52-week high of $139.06. 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 stock has a market cap of $146.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. Abbott Laboratories's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is presently 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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