Legal & General Group Plc Sells 279,754 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,620,564 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 279,754 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,581,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ABT. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,868,718,000 after buying an additional 4,713,135 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at about $336,815,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after buying an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,525,906 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $740,140,000 after buying an additional 1,865,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $8,251,974,000 after buying an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ABT shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $70,850.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares in the company, valued at $12,053,953.78. The trade was a 0.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: A TipRanks roundup highlighted Abbott as one of three “Strong Buy” dividend aristocrat stocks with more than 15% upside potential, which may support investor confidence in the name. 3 ‘Strong Buy’ Dividend Aristocrat Stocks with 15%+ Upside, 5/22/26
• Positive Sentiment: Another piece argued that Abbott’s Lingo wearable and increased cardiovascular R&D could strengthen its long-term growth outlook by expanding its health-tech and diagnostics footprint. Abbott’s Lingo Wearable And Cardio R&D Reframe Long Term Growth Story
• Neutral Sentiment: One market note said traders are waiting for more clarity on integration results, suggesting investors are in a “show-me” phase rather than fully repricing the stock higher. Waiting on Integration Result, Market Stays Moderated on Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
• Negative Sentiment: Another article said Abbott has been “slid” in part because its nutrition segment is sensitive to consumer spending trends, highlighting macro pressure on a key business line. Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Slid Due To Its Nutrition Segment’s Sensitivity to Consumer Spending Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly removed Abbott from its U.S. Conviction List, which may weigh on sentiment even though it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Why UnitedHealth (UNH) Remains a Turnaround Bet Despite Policy and Cost Pressure

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT opened at $87.42 on Monday. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $139.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $96.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.97.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company 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 17.62%. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

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.