Avanza Fonder AB Boosts Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Avanza Fonder AB lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 195,451 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,161 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up about 0.6% of Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $24,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rialto Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 363.0% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Aurdan Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Aurdan Capital Management LLC now owns 24,373 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $3,054,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 14,570 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,825,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,338 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $5,666,000 after acquiring an additional 1,212 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $104.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $182.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $112.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.77. 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 has a 12-month low of $104.10 and a 12-month high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $70,850.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at $16,918,253.66. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Argus reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.16.

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.