Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Sold by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. cut its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 26.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 34,066 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 12,452 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $4,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ABT. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 79,767 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $10,684,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% during the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 546,192 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $73,157,000 after acquiring an additional 11,822 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 11.7% in the third quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 828 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Siligmueller & Norvid Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter worth approximately $1,545,000. Finally, Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth approximately $431,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ABT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $169.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Leerink Partners decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $155.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.05.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $115.14 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $200.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.68. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $105.27 and a 1 year high of $141.23.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.94% and a net margin of 14.72%.The company had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.120-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.550-5.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $108.73 per share, with a total value of $1,087,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 6,738,817 shares in the company, valued at $732,711,572.41. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition strategy could expand diagnostics/oncology exposure — Abbott announced plans tied to acquiring Exact Sciences and market commentary highlights the strategic upside of bolstering cancer‑screening capabilities. QuiverQuant: Acquisition discussion
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Abbott declared a quarterly dividend ($0.63/share, ex‑date April 15), supporting income investors and signaling cash‑flow confidence. (Company release)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing and price targets — Several firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and median targets (~$140), providing upside vs. the current trading level and helping buyer confidence. QuiverQuant: Analyst ratings and targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed — EPS matched consensus ($1.50) but revenue modestly missed estimates; management gave Q1 and FY 2026 EPS ranges that investors are parsing for cadence of recovery. Zacks: Q4 recap
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate amid recent weakness — Commentary examines whether recent share weakness makes ABT attractive or merely fairly valued given sector headwinds; this frames some buying interest. Yahoo: Valuation piece
• Negative Sentiment: Big bond sale to fund Exact Sciences deal raises leverage concerns — Abbott’s planned ~$20B bond issuance to finance the acquisition has prompted debate over increased debt in a tighter rate environment. QuiverQuant: Bond financing discussion
• Negative Sentiment: Product‑liability lawsuit involving FreeStyle Libre 3 — A wrongful‑death suit alleges defects in Libre 3 systems, naming Abbott and raising regulatory, safety and potential litigation cost risks. This is a material legal overhang to monitor. Yahoo: Wrongful‑death lawsuit

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.