Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 331,362 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,923,501 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 331,362 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Abbott Laboratories worth $525,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 759.1% during the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 189 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 81.3% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 232 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE ABT opened at $109.31 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $105.27 and a 1-year high of $141.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.77 and a 200-day moving average of $127.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $190.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.72.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.94% and a net margin of 14.72%.The business had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s 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 forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ABT shares. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $146.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Leerink Partners dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $119.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.40.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

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 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.