Syntax Research Inc. Takes Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Syntax Research Inc. opened a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter, buying 12,000 shares worth about $1.23 million.
• Abbott recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.15 and revenue of $11.16 billion, and it also raised guidance for future periods.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.7%, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

Syntax Research Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,000 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,232,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,853,782 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $10,004,880,000 after acquiring an additional 1,627,791 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,229,445 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $7,922,519,000 after acquiring an additional 1,614,706 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $4,926,279,000 after acquiring an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 39,169,239 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $4,907,523,000 after purchasing an additional 400,400 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE ABT opened at $92.15 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.62. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $137.49. The firm has a market cap of $160.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The firm had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

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

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

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered shares of Abbott Laboratories from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.42.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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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