Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for AbbVie Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has lowered its Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for AbbVie from $2.96 to $2.94, reflecting concerns about the company's future earnings performance.
• AbbVie reported Q2 earnings of $2.97 per share, which fell short of the consensus estimate of $3.24, indicating that the company is facing challenges in meeting analyst expectations.
• Despite recent earnings challenges, several brokerages have maintained or increased their price targets for AbbVie, with ratings ranging from "Neutral" to "Strong Buy."

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AbbVie in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, October 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.94 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.96. The consensus estimate for AbbVie's current full-year earnings is $12.31 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AbbVie's Q4 2026 earnings at $3.76 EPS.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.24 by ($0.27). AbbVie had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 699.66%. The company had revenue of $15.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. AbbVie's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on ABBV. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on AbbVie from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AbbVie from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Daiwa America upgraded AbbVie from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on AbbVie from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AbbVie currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $234.80.

AbbVie Price Performance

Shares of ABBV stock opened at $231.48 on Wednesday. AbbVie has a fifty-two week low of $163.81 and a fifty-two week high of $244.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $408.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.23, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.14, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $219.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.07.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 1.7% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 870,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,470,000 after acquiring an additional 14,595 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 0.9% in the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 372,051 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,145,000 after acquiring an additional 3,230 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 1.9% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 47,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,999,000 after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the period. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 0.7% in the third quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 76,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,766,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. Finally, Fountainhead AM LLC lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 44.6% in the third quarter. Fountainhead AM LLC now owns 3,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the period. 70.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at AbbVie

In related news, EVP Nicholas Donoghoe sold 13,295 shares of AbbVie stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.51, for a total transaction of $2,639,190.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,562,611.97. The trade was a 18.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Azita Saleki-Gerhardt sold 42,370 shares of AbbVie stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.42, for a total value of $8,407,055.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 177,292 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,178,278.64. This trade represents a 19.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. AbbVie's payout ratio is 312.38%.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Humira, an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behçet's diseases, and pyoderma gangrenosum; Skyrizi to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic disease, and Crohn's disease; Rinvoq to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthropathy, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease; Imbruvica for the treatment of adult patients with blood cancers; Epkinly to treat lymphoma; Elahere to treat cancer; and Venclexta/Venclyxto to treat blood cancers.

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