Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Stock Price

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) had its price target cut by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $122.00 to $109.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the healthcare product maker’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 12.50% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on ABT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Freedom Capital raised Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $146.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.00.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE ABT opened at $96.89 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $107.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.65. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $93.92 and a 52-week high of $139.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $168.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.79.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 585 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $67,614.30. Following the sale, the vice president owned 24,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,846,504.24. The trade was a 2.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $81,946.22. Following 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABT. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Preliminary settlement reached in six shareholder derivative suits tied to Abbott’s U.S. infant‑formula business, reducing litigation overhang for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New data on Cancerguard MCED (multi‑cancer early detection) presented at AACR 2026 — important for Abbott’s growth thesis since the Exact Sciences deal expanded its oncology diagnostics exposure. Continued clinical progress supports longer‑term revenue upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Insiders added roughly $3.1M of stock, and a number of analysts still see upside — some calling the post‑acquisition pullback a buying opportunity given valuation and Abbott’s dividend track record. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results: adjusted EPS $1.15 (vs. $1.14 est.) and revenue $11.16B (vs. $10.99B); company set FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.38–$5.58 and Q2 guide to $1.25–$1.31, explicitly including ~$0.20 of dilution from the Exact Sciences acquisition. Investors are parsing beat vs. the guidance change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analyst commentary emphasize medical‑device strength offset by Diagnostics/Nutrition softness and acquisition-related margin pressure — useful for active traders but mixed for near‑term stock direction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after the print because Abbott trimmed guidance and flagged Nutrition weakness and margin compression; coverage shows the takeover (≈$21–23B) is dilutive near term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Many brokers lowered price targets and some cut forecasts following Q1/guidance — several firms kept positive ratings but reduced targets (examples include RBC, Jefferies, Raymond James, Citi and others), amplifying short‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and headlines highlighted the EPS guidance cut and Nutrition slump as primary reasons for the earlier drop — these remain catalysts to watch for the next quarter. Read More.

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.