Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $89.27, but opened at $95.29. Abbott Laboratories shares last traded at $100.4150, with a volume of 6,088,884 shares changing hands.

The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $12.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.65%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.59%.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott beat Q2 earnings expectations and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, signaling better profit momentum for the rest of the year. Abbott Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to stronger second-half demand across multiple businesses, including nutrition, medical devices, diagnostics, and diabetes care, which supports a faster growth profile. ABT Q2 Earnings Call Flags Stronger Second-Half Setup
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the results, with JPMorgan, Citi, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, TD Cowen, BTIG, and RBC all lifting targets or reaffirming bullish views. These Analysts Increase Their Forecasts On Abbott Following Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 target price on the stock. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $4,926,279,000 after purchasing an additional 39,005,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,938,892,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 217.0% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,522,222 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $566,967,000 after buying an additional 3,780,402 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 303.0% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,429,571 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $454,784,000 after buying an additional 3,330,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $336,815,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $175.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $89.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.17.

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.