National Pension Service Raises Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,023,071 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after buying an additional 457,277 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $504,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Bridge Generations Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at $33,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $86.19 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $81.97 and a one year high of $139.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $94.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.14, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.65.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The company had revenue of $11.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s 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, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $70,850.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,300. This represents a ? increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 in the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on ABT. Argus reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Freedom Capital raised Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.09.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott secured CE Mark approval in Europe for Libre Duo, the world’s first dual glucose-ketone sensing technology for diabetes care, which could broaden its addressable market and strengthen its diabetes device franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The American Cancer Society reaffirmed Abbott’s noninvasive colorectal cancer screening products, Cologuard and Cologuard Plus, as preferred options for average-risk adults, supporting demand for the company’s screening portfolio. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also won FDA and EU clearance for its AI-powered Ultreon 3.0 software, which helps guide artery stent placement and could support growth in its cardiovascular business. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-focused articles reiterated that Wall Street remains broadly bullish on Abbott, and Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating even after trimming its price target to $113 from $121. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on Abbott’s diagnostics unit pointed to a mixed quarter, with Core Lab growth offset by China weakness and softer respiratory testing demand, suggesting uneven near-term performance in the segment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage noted that Abbott’s shares fell in a recent session despite a broader market uptick, reflecting lingering pressure even as fundamental news flow turns more favorable. Article Title

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.