Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management reduced its Abbott Laboratories stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 20,143 shares and leaving it with 254,740 shares valued at about $31.9 million.
• Several insiders bought shares recently, including CFO Philip P. Boudreau and Director Daniel J. Starks, which may signal management confidence in the company.
• Abbott reported Q1 earnings above expectations and reaffirmed upbeat guidance, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of 63 cents per share; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $118.38.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lessened its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 254,740 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 20,143 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $31,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,868,718,000 after buying an additional 4,713,135 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $336,815,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 3,947,686 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $494,610,000 after buying an additional 2,169,184 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired 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 directly owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $87.89 on Monday. Abbott Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $81.97 and a fifty-two week high of $139.06. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $91.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $153.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.63.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. The business'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, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 70.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $131.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Benchmark lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.38.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott declared its 410th consecutive quarterly dividend, underscoring its long track record of returning cash to shareholders. The board approved a 63-cent per share quarterly dividend. Abbott declares 410th consecutive quarterly dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank nudged its FY2026 EPS estimate higher for Abbott, aligning with the current consensus of $5.48 per share, which suggests analysts still see stable earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also continues to highlight growth opportunities in diabetes care and medtech, including an expanded MiniMed collaboration and recent CE Mark approval for Libre Duo, supporting the company’s innovation story.
• Neutral Sentiment: Research coverage remains mixed, with one Seeking Alpha piece calling Abbott “structurally undervalued,” but this is opinion-based and not a direct catalyst. Abbott Laboratories Remains Structurally Undervalued
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group also trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate slightly to $6.04 from $6.05, a very small revision that should have limited impact on sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Star51 Capital’s first close of its medtech fund included Abbott as a lead backer, reinforcing Abbott’s strategic interest in healthcare innovation, though the direct stock impact is likely modest.
• Negative Sentiment: BofA cut its price target on Abbott from $120 to $102, signaling less upside than before and likely adding to investor caution. BofA adjusts price target on Abbott Laboratories to 102 from 120
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading has shown Abbott slipping more than the broader market, reflecting ongoing weakness in the shares and investor concern over valuation versus slower near-term momentum. Abbott (ABT) Dips More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Portfolio filings showing Elfun Trusts exited Abbott may also add a small amount of selling pressure, though this is not a major fundamental development. Elfun Trusts Exits Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories 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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