Capital Research Global Investors Lowers Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Capital Research Global Investors lessened its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,768,839 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 2,997,346 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories accounts for approximately 1.0% of Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 2.23% of Abbott Laboratories worth $5,192,680,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,026,180,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13,347.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,056,934 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $823,804,000 after buying an additional 6,011,891 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 172,800,851 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $23,502,644,000 after acquiring an additional 2,977,715 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 180.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,063,443 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $416,659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $8,251,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of ABT opened at $112.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $195.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.74. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $105.27 and a 12-month high of $139.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $115.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.73%. The company had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.37.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Elizabeth C. Cushman sold 263 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $30,397.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,573 shares in the company, valued at $4,458,267.34. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $70,850.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 over the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Company 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.