Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 50.9% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,380,872 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 465,906 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $125,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $114.11 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $101.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.13. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49. The stock has a market cap of $197.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.25 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA authorized Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day, the first U.S. wearable designed to continuously monitor both glucose and ketone levels. The device is intended to help detect rising ketones associated with diabetic ketoacidosis and integrates with Abbott’s Libre app, digital-health ecosystem and compatible automated insulin-delivery systems. The approval strengthens Abbott’s continuous glucose-monitoring franchise and could expand its addressable market. Reuters FDA authorization article
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target for ABT from $115 to $135 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying approximately 18% upside from the referenced $114.11 level. The target increase reflects confidence in Abbott’s growth prospects and valuation relative to peers. Benzinga analyst price target report
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry forecasts identify Abbott as a participant in expanding atrial-fibrillation treatment and device markets, particularly pulsed-field ablation, mapping catheters and left-atrial-appendage closure. These reports point to long-term opportunity but do not provide new Abbott-specific financial guidance. Atrial fibrillation treatment devices market report
• Negative Sentiment: Abbott agreed to pay $670 million to settle claims that its specialized premature-infant formula contributed to necrotizing enterocolitis. The settlement removes some litigation uncertainty but highlights continuing legal and financial risks. Abbott formula claims settlement article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Friday, July 17th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.50.

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.