Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Upgraded at Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ABT. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. William Blair upgraded Abbott Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Daiwa Capital Markets raised their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.40.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 3.0%

ABT stock opened at $109.31 on Thursday. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $105.27 and a one year high of $141.23. The firm has a market cap of $190.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $122.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The company had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.80 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.94% and a net margin of 14.72%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This is a positive change from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.74%.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 759.1% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 189 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 81.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 232 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott announced a portfolio reset tied to a deal with Exact Sciences that refocuses its cancer diagnostics strategy — investors appear to view the move as a strategic repositioning that could improve longer‑term growth in diagnostics. Abbott Laboratories Resets Portfolio With Exact Sciences Cancer Diagnostics Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded ABT from “hold” to “strong‑buy,” a bullish vote that can attract buy‑side interest and support near‑term buying pressure. Freedom Capital upgrade (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and feature pieces are framing Abbott as a steady, dividend‑oriented healthcare name, which reinforces income investor interest but is unlikely to drive a large repricing on its own. Looking for Passive Income in 2026? 3 Dividend Kings to Buy Hand Over Fist
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and analyst‑call writeups summarize Q4 takeaways and evolving price targets; useful for longer‑term positioning but largely reiterative. How New Price Targets Are Shaping The Evolving Story For Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 5 Insightful Analyst Questions From Abbott’s Q4 Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Updates projecting “decent organic sales growth” for 2026 support baseline expectations for revenue improvement but are not a catalyst by themselves. Decent organic sales growth expected for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Daiwa Capital Markets lowered its price target to $113 (from $136) while keeping an “outperform” call — a downward PT revision that can cool momentum and signals reduced near‑term upside expectations. Daiwa Securities adjusts Abbott PT to $113
• Negative Sentiment: Leerink Partners cut its target to $119 (from $136) and moved to “market perform,” another analyst downgrade that adds pressure and contributes to today’s mixed tone. Leerink Partners adjusts Abbott PT to $119 TickerReport coverage

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.