Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Sells 17,597 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 18.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,755 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 17,597 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $8,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freemont Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% in the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at $116,580,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $30,931,000 after buying an additional 48,286 shares in the last quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter valued at about $185,640,000. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,366,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group downgraded Abbott Laboratories from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.30.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.1%

ABT opened at $90.46 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.69. The company has a market capitalization of $157.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.63. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $138.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The firm had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The company’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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott signed a global licensing agreement with ALZpath to incorporate its pTau217 antibody into a blood-based Alzheimer’s diagnostic, a potentially meaningful addition to Abbott’s diagnostics portfolio. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted growing momentum in Abbott’s emerging markets and EPD business, supported by branded generics demand, biosimilar expansion, and new approvals, which points to continued international growth. Article
• Positive Sentiment: MiniMed’s launch of Abbott Instinct sensors across European markets expands Abbott’s diabetes technology reach and reinforces the company’s connected care ecosystem. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott was also featured in bullish commentary as a durable dividend aristocrat with 54 straight years of dividend increases, which may be supporting investor sentiment around the stock. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott continued to draw investor and analyst attention, with articles noting strong interest and a “Moderate Buy” consensus, but these are more sentiment indicators than new fundamental developments. Zacks article
• Negative Sentiment: A Missouri appeals court decision allowing Abbott’s $495 million preterm baby formula verdict appeal to remain in place keeps a major legal overhang on the shares. Article

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.