Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Sold by Bruce & Co. Inc.

Bruce & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,800 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 20,000 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories accounts for approximately 4.4% of Bruce & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Bruce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $14,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of 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 worth $10,004,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,627,791 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,614,706 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 39,169,239 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $4,907,523,000 after acquiring an additional 400,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,938,892,000. 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: 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

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $87.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.98. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $139.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market cap of $153.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.63.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. 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. On average, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau purchased 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.38.

Abbott Laboratories 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.