Ascentis Independent Advisors Boosts Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Ascentis Independent Advisors raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 132.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,945 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,792 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors’ holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:ABT opened at $95.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $137.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $88.95 and a 200 day moving average of $104.18. The firm has a market cap of $166.59 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.61.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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, research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ABT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $118.42.

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.