Mizuho Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Mizuho cut its price target on Abbott from $125 to $115 and maintained a "neutral" rating, with the new target implying roughly 20.8% upside from the current share price.
• Several other firms trimmed targets after the print, but analyst coverage remains broadly positive — the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $121.
• Abbott marginally beat Q1 EPS and revenue but lowered FY2026 guidance to $5.38–$5.58 and said the Exact Sciences acquisition will dilute EPS by about $0.20, which spurred selling pressure and short-term concern over margins.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by research analysts at Mizuho from $125.00 to $115.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the healthcare product maker's stock. Mizuho's price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.76% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on ABT. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Freedom Capital raised Abbott Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $121.00.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $95.23 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $108.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $165.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $93.92 and a 52 week high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Abbott Laboratories's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Elizabeth C. Cushman sold 263 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $30,397.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,573 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,458,267.34. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $70,850.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,853,782 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $10,004,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,627,791 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,614,706 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $4,926,279,000 after buying an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS ($1.15 vs. $1.14 est.) and revenue ($11.16B vs. $10.99B), driven by medical devices and the newly acquired cancer diagnostics business — confirms underlying growth momentum. Reuters: Abbott first-quarter results beat
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy and set a $131 price target (≈+38% upside vs. current price), signaling some analysts view the acquisition and growth trajectory as accretive over time. TickerReport: BTIG Reaffirms Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott officially updated FY2026 guidance to $5.38–$5.58 (includes ~$0.20 dilution from Exact Sciences) and Q2 guidance to $1.25–$1.31, which is below prior consensus — investors must weigh near-term EPS hit vs. long-term oncology exposure. PR Newswire: Abbott Reports Q1, Updates Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains generally bullish (Buy ratings from multiple firms and mid-$120s PTs from some outlets like 24/7 Wall St.), keeping a positive baseline for longer-term holders. 24/7 Wall St.: ABT price prediction
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s lowered guidance and the ~$0.20 EPS dilution tied to the Exact Sciences buyout spurred selling pressure; margin compression and a weak nutrition segment were flagged on the call. WSJ: Abbott cuts outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets after the print—Bank of America and Stifel lowered PTs (to $120) even while keeping Buy ratings, reflecting reduced near-term upside expectations. Benzinga: Analyst price target changes
• Negative Sentiment: Shares reacted negatively after the print as investors prioritized the guidance cut and merger dilution over the modest beat; short-term volatility and ETF flows were noted by several outlets. Motley Fool: Why ABT tumbled

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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