Capital International Investors Boosts Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after buying an additional 1,478,076 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up approximately 1.3% of Capital International Investors’ portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Capital International Investors’ holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $8,251,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ABT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,026,180,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 6,011,891 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% in the second 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 grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,972,097 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,293,067 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $5,184,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390,554 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $67,614.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 24,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,846,504.24. The trade was a 2.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $30,397.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,573 shares in the company, valued at $4,458,267.34. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 in the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 2.9%

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 price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.74. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $105.27 and a one year high of $139.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $115.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The company had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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. Equities research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on ABT shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $169.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Argus reduced their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.37.

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.