Sawgrass Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 84.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,244 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 89,797 shares during the quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $2,176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $5,850,000 after acquiring an additional 4,755 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 5,303 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $232,000. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 226.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 10,485 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,426,000 after buying an additional 7,275 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $107.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.33. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $105.78 and a 1 year high of $141.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ABT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $152.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays lifted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $162.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.79.

Key Headlines Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: MedTech and pharma strength, and EPS resilience — Abbott reported adjusted Q4 EPS growth (company highlighted margin improvements) and strong MedTech (+~12%) and Established Pharma (+~9%) performance that partly offset Nutrition weakness; management still projects FY‑2026 adjusted EPS growth. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts keep buy/outperform stance despite cuts — several major firms trimmed price targets after the print but largely maintained buy/overweight ratings, signaling conviction in the longer‑term story even as near‑term expectations were tempered. Analyst Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentators view the pullback as a buying opportunity — market commentators highlight ABT’s dividend history, cash flow and buyback capacity, suggesting the drop may create an attractive entry for long‑term investors. MarketBeat: Pullback Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts available — investors can review management commentary and segment detail in the Q4 earnings call transcript for color on nutrition, diagnostics and Exact/other strategic items. Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/valuation commentary circulates — value and dividend‑focused outlets are flagging ABT as attractively valued after the pullback; this is background context rather than a near‑term catalyst. Zacks: Value Take
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss driven by Nutrition and Diagnostics — Q4 revenue (~$11.5B) fell short of consensus, with Nutrition down sharply (~8–9%) and Diagnostics weak, sparking the initial selloff. Reuters: Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance slightly below Street — Abbott set Q1 EPS and FY‑2026 EPS ranges that sit near or a touch below consensus, increasing near‑term revenue/growth concerns. Guidance Details
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts — a raft of firms (Citigroup, Goldman, Raymond James, Sanford Bernstein, Oppenheimer, RBC, etc.) trimmed targets, which can amplify selling pressure even if ratings remain constructive. Benzinga: PT Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Options and hedging activity spiked — an unusual surge in put buying suggests traders are positioning for further near‑term downside (heightened bearish sentiment).
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny in India — reports of an investigation into alleged misuse of a codeine‑based cough syrup (Abbott Healthcare) add an extra headline risk in emerging markets. Reuters: India Scrutiny

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.