KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 971,537 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 14,573 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $88,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 target price for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $118.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.50.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $116.12 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $101.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.09. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $81.97 and a twelve month high of $137.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The company had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is presently 81.55%.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA authorized Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day, the first continuous monitor designed to track both glucose and ketone levels. The device could strengthen Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre ecosystem, help identify rising ketones before diabetic ketoacidosis emergencies, and support compatibility with automated insulin-delivery systems. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target for ABT to $135 from $115 and maintained a “buy” rating. The upgrade signals confidence in Abbott’s growth prospects, particularly in continuous glucose monitoring and medical devices. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Medtronic’s MiniMed Flex insulin pump has begun shipping with an Abbott-made glucose sensor, expanding the potential distribution and application of Abbott’s sensor technology in automated insulin delivery. MedTech Dive article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons portray Abbott as a relatively attractive healthcare and continuous glucose monitoring investment, citing valuation, liquidity and price-target upside. These assessments may support sentiment but do not represent new company operating results. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Abbott agreed to pay $670 million to settle claims that its specialized premature-infant formulas contributed to necrotizing enterocolitis. The settlement removes some litigation uncertainty but highlights continuing legal and financial risks. Insider Monkey article
• Negative Sentiment: Diagnostics growth remains uneven: strong routine testing and 13% cancer-diagnostics growth are being partly offset by weaker respiratory testing demand. This could temper near-term revenue momentum. Yahoo Finance article

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.