AbbVie Inc. $ABBV Shares Acquired by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) by 18.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 131,344 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,115 shares during the quarter. AbbVie makes up about 1.0% of Kentucky Retirement Systems’ portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in AbbVie were worth $28,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AbbVie during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Imprint Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of AbbVie by 56.2% in the fourth quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its stake in shares of AbbVie by 115.9% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WestEnd Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AbbVie by 160.4% during the 4th quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ABBV. Barclays lifted their price target on AbbVie from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $298.00 price objective on shares of AbbVie in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on AbbVie from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore set a $235.00 target price on AbbVie in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AbbVie presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $269.29.

Key AbbVie News

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The European Union approved RINVOQ for adults and adolescents aged 12 and older with severe alopecia areata. The decision was supported by Phase 3 data showing statistically significant scalp, eyebrow and eyelash hair regrowth, including complete scalp regrowth for some patients. RINVOQ alopecia areata approval
• Positive Sentiment: RINVOQ also received EU approval for non-segmental vitiligo in patients 12 and older who are candidates for systemic therapy. AbbVie described it as the first and only systemic treatment approved in the EU for this condition, creating another potential revenue opportunity for the drug. RINVOQ vitiligo approval
• Positive Sentiment: The approvals reinforce investor expectations that RINVOQ and Skyrizi can continue replacing Humira as AbbVie’s primary growth engines. The two drugs have been highlighted as key drivers ahead of earnings, while AbbVie’s long dividend-raise record supports its appeal to income-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed investors purchasing approximately 19,745 call contracts, about 18% above average call volume. This indicates increased bullish positioning, although options activity is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group raised its 2027 EPS forecast for AbbVie to $16.40 from $16.27 but slightly lowered its 2026 estimate to $14.05 from $14.08, leaving the near-term earnings outlook mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: After a strong multiyear rally, valuation concerns and the possibility of “sell the news” volatility could limit further gains, particularly if second-quarter results or guidance do not exceed elevated expectations.

AbbVie Stock Performance

Shares of ABBV opened at $263.58 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $237.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.60. AbbVie Inc. has a one year low of $187.62 and a one year high of $267.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $465.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 129.84, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.30.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.06. AbbVie had a negative return on equity of 576.45% and a net margin of 5.79%.The company had revenue of $15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that AbbVie Inc. will post 14.14 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. AbbVie’s dividend payout ratio is 340.89%.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie’s product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women’s health.