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

Key Points

• TD Cowen cut its price target on Abbott from $137 to $115 but kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 20.4% upside from the current share price.
• Abbott beat Q1 EPS and revenue but issued lower FY2026 guidance ( $5.38–$5.58, including ~ $0.20 dilution from the Exact Sciences deal), which spurred analyst price‑target cuts and short‑term selling despite a consensus "Moderate Buy" average target of about $121.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by TD Cowen from $137.00 to $115.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the healthcare product maker's stock. TD Cowen's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 20.42% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Evercore cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Freedom Capital upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Abbott Laboratories from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $121.00.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT stock opened at $95.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $166.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.79. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $93.92 and a 1 year high of $139.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $108.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.01.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $108.73 per share, with a total value of $1,087,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 6,738,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $732,711,572.41. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CPC Advisors LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 36.9% during the first quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 28,066 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $2,882,000 after acquiring an additional 7,567 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 27.5% during the 1st quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 700 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 25.5% during the first quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 58,941 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $6,051,000 after buying an additional 11,994 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 114.4% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,064,157 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $211,927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Salley Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 189,613 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $19,468,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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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