Delta Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Delta Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,911 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,173 shares during the period. Delta Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $2,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 759.1% during the second quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 189 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 81.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 232 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Curio Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 15,250.0% during the 2nd quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 307 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $107.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $186.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.72. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $105.78 and a 12-month high of $141.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $124.77 and a 200 day moving average of $128.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The firm had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.80 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.94%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This is an increase from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is 67.74%.

Key Stories 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ABT shares. William Blair upgraded Abbott Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $155.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.79.

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.