Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp reduced its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 44,655 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 4,453 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $5,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 759.1% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 189 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 81.3% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 232 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Curio Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 15,250.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 307 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ABT. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.47.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed a constructive view on ABT with a buy/overweight stance and raised its price target, signaling strong analyst confidence that supports further upside. Barclays Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays also increased its price target from $162 to $169 (overweight), implying meaningful upside from current levels and likely supporting buying interest. Benzinga coverage of Barclays PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI nudged its target up to $144 and maintained an outperform rating, adding another independent analyst vote of confidence for valuation and growth expectations. Evercore ISI adjusts PT on Abbott Laboratories
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott unveiled Libre Assist, an AI-driven feature in the Libre app aimed at in-the-moment meal guidance for people with diabetes — a product extension that could boost user engagement and CGM stickiness. Product innovation at CES supports the narrative of recurring revenue and device ecosystem strength. Abbott’s new Libre Assist app feature
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott scheduled its Q4 2025 earnings release and conference call for Jan. 22 (pre-market). This is a key near-term catalyst: results and FY guidance will likely drive the next leg of the stock’s move. Abbott hosts conference call for fourth-quarter earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Studio coverage and comparisons (Zacks) highlight valuation comparisons with peers like Prestige Consumer Healthcare — useful for value-oriented investors, but not a direct stock driver. PBH vs. ABT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent intraday/short-term coverage noting ABT’s outperformance versus the market signals momentum but is not a fundamental change. Abbott (ABT) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 1.2%

ABT stock opened at $127.91 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $126.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.51. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $110.86 and a twelve month high of $141.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $222.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.03, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.72.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $11.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. Research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This is an increase from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.57%.

About Abbott Laboratories

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.