Erste Group Bank Has Pessimistic View of ABT FY2027 Earnings

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the healthcare product maker will post earnings per share of $6.24 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $6.25. The consensus estimate for Abbott Laboratories’ current full-year earnings is $5.14 per share.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Freedom Capital upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.58.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $103.70 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.88, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.35. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $100.88 and a 52-week high of $139.06.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $81,946.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,526,575.12. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,918,253.66. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097 over the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Abbott Laboratories

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Trust Co raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 109.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 29,412 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $3,939,000 after acquiring an additional 15,394 shares during the last quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter valued at $185,640,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 858,834 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $115,032,000 after acquiring an additional 19,966 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 329,430 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $43,785,000 after acquiring an additional 18,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 65,504 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $8,774,000 after acquiring an additional 11,264 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on ABT to $144 and keeps an “overweight” view, a bullish signal that likely helped buying interest. Abbott Laboratories price target raised by Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Abbott as a “dividend king on sale” (value/dividend investors) increases interest from income-focused buyers given its long track record of payout consistency. A Dividend King on Sale: Is Abbott Labs a Healthcare Bargain?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several sell‑side analysts remain constructive (maintaining buy/outperform ratings) but trimmed targets modestly (Evercore to $134 from $138; BTIG similar), which is mixed news — keeps analyst support but reduces implied upside. Evercore ISI and BTIG Lower Abbott (ABT) Price Targets, Maintain Positive Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media note the stock’s recent underperformance versus the broader market even as it edges up intraday — an important context for short‑term momentum traders. Abbott Laboratories stock rises Wednesday, still underperforms market
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target sharply to $121 from $140 (still a “buy”), a downgrade in expectation that can pressure sentiment and cap near‑term gains. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on Abbott Laboratories to $121 from $140; maintains buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses flag recent share weakness (down materially over the past 1–3 months) and fading momentum; fundamental concerns include a modest revenue shortfall in the last quarter despite EPS in line and only modest FY guidance — reasons some investors remain cautious. Assessing Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness

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.