Hodges Capital Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Hodges Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 20,916 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,898,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $5,850,000 after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 7.4% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 29,004 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $3,945,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,894 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 25.6% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,435,683 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $195,267,000 after buying an additional 292,547 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $116.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $201.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $137.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $100.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.05.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.The firm had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.55%.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott’s Instinct continuous glucose sensor is now commercially shipping in the U.S. integrated with MiniMed’s Flex automated insulin-delivery system. The partnership expands Abbott’s presence in diabetes technology and could support sensor adoption and recurring revenue. MiniMed Ships MiniMed Flex With Abbott’s Smallest Instinct Sensor
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also entered a multiyear agreement with HealthTab to distribute its Afinion 2 point-of-care analyzers through NHS-linked pharmacies in the United Kingdom. The deal may broaden access to Abbott’s HbA1c and lipid-testing products, although financial details were not disclosed. HealthTab Enters Multi-Year Collaboration Agreement with Abbott
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott agreed to pay approximately $670 million to resolve the Gill case and claims from roughly 2,000 individuals involving specialty formulas for premature infants. The settlement resolves a portion of the litigation, including the appeal of a prior $495 million verdict, reducing uncertainty and potentially avoiding additional legal costs. Abbott denied that its products cause necrotizing enterocolitis and said regulators and medical professionals consider the formulas safe and necessary. Abbott agrees to $670 million settlement of infant formula cases
• Negative Sentiment: The settlement represents a significant cash and earnings cost and does not resolve all potential litigation related to the infant formulas. Investors may continue to assess the scope of remaining claims and the effect on Abbott’s legal reserves and profitability. Abbott reaches agreements to resolve a portion of litigation involving its specialty formulas

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research raised Abbott Laboratories from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.67.

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.