Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 1,591,445 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding Ltd. cut its Abbott Laboratories stake by 32% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,591,445 shares and leaving it with 3,384,193 shares valued at about $424 million.
• Abbott remains a strong income name, declaring its 410th consecutive quarterly dividend and maintaining a 63-cent per share payout.
• Analyst sentiment is still generally positive but more cautious, as several firms trimmed price targets while Abbott recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and kept FY2026 guidance at $5.38-$5.58 per share.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. reduced its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 32.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,384,193 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 1,591,445 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories makes up about 1.3% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned 0.19% of Abbott Laboratories worth $424,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.38.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT opened at $87.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company's fifty day moving average price is $91.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.98. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $139.06. The company has a market cap of $153.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.63.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. 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 prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business's 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, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the 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 acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate 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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