Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Trading Down 3.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) were down 3.2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $84.08 and last traded at $84.2350. Approximately 10,757,104 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 11,826,294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.01.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott’s Medical Devices segment delivered 8.5% Q1 growth, with electrophysiology, rhythm management, and heart failure products driving gains. That reinforces the company’s long-term growth story and suggests its device portfolio remains a key catalyst for ABT. Abbott’s Medical Device Strategy Supports Long-Term Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts remain bullish on Abbott Laboratories despite its recent underperformance versus the broader market, which can help cushion sentiment around the stock. Abbott Laboratories Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy rating on ABT, adding to the view that analysts still see upside potential despite near-term weakness. Wells Fargo Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Abbott to $5.47 from $5.48, which is only a minor change and close to consensus, so the impact looks limited. Abbott Laboratories news item referencing Erste Group Bank estimate reduction
• Negative Sentiment: ABT has underperformed over the past year, and recent share-price weakness has kept investors focused on whether the stock is now cheap rather than on a strong near-term rebound. Is Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Now Offering Value After Recent Share Price Weakness?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on ABT shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Argus reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Abbott Laboratories from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.43.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $102.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.09. The stock has a market cap of $146.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The firm 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 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 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 value of $70,850.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. The trade was a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ? increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 in the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter valued at about $582,000. HORAN Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 3.9% during the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 37,537 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $3,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the period. Summit Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 8.8% during the first quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 4,305 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.9% during the first quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 92,145 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $9,461,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the period. Finally, Long Road Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 12.6% during the first quarter. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC now owns 13,545 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

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.