Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Shares Gap Up Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $89.27, but opened at $95.29. Abbott Laboratories shares last traded at $100.4150, with a volume of 6,088,884 shares changing hands.

The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The firm had revenue of $12.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.59%.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott beat Q2 expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.31 versus $1.28 expected, showing better-than-expected profitability. Abbott Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, above its prior range, signaling confidence in earnings momentum. Abbott raises 2026 profit forecast on heart device strength
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue grew 13% year over year, supported by strong demand in medical devices, diagnostics, and emerging markets, which points to broad-based operating strength. Why Abbott Laboratories Stock Is Suddenly Winning Back Wall Street
• Positive Sentiment: Heart-device demand and diagnostics growth, including a surge in sales tied to that segment, improved investor sentiment around Abbott’s longer-term growth profile. Abbott Q2 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates, Stock Up in Pre-market
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott’s profit fell sharply from a year ago on a GAAP basis, but the decline was offset by stronger sales and guidance, making this more of a quality-over-headline-results story. Abbott Laboratories Sales Rise on Diagnostics Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market and tech sell-off headlines may have slightly tempered enthusiasm, but they were not the main driver of ABT’s move. Stock Market Today, July 16: Micron Plunges as Tech Stocks Extend Sell-Off

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. 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, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.61.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau purchased 2,200 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ABT. American National Bank of Texas boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. American National Bank of Texas now owns 3,408 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Nia Impact Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC now owns 3,706 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 815 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.7% during the third quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,028 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 6,217 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 10.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $172.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $89.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.18.

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.