Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Sells 7,237 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. cut its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 794,924 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 7,237 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $99,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ABT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,868,718,000 after purchasing an additional 4,713,135 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $336,815,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,525,906 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $740,140,000 after purchasing an additional 1,865,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ABT shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 report on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.38.

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

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT stock opened at $87.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.39. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $139.06. The company has a market capitalization of $153.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $91.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.98.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.