Magnetar Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 17,962 Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,962 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $2,406,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ABT. Norges Bank bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,026,180,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13,347.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,056,934 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $823,804,000 after acquiring an additional 6,011,891 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 172,800,851 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $23,502,644,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977,715 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 180.7% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,063,443 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $416,659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in 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 worth $8,251,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: New clinical evidence — The FreeDM2 randomized trial showed FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring produced meaningful improvements in HbA1c and more time-in-range for people with Type 2 diabetes on basal insulin, supporting adoption and longer-term revenue upside for Abbott’s diabetes business. Landmark study shows Libre technology helps people with Type 2 diabetes on basal insulin improve glucose management
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/consumer engagement — Abbott relaunched its “Abbott Dream Team” program with Real Madrid, a marketing push that can boost awareness for consumer-facing segments (nutrition, diagnostics) and strengthen long-term end-market demand. Abbott and Real Madrid launch nationwide effort to build the next ‘Abbott Dream Team’
• Positive Sentiment: Value narrative — Analyst commentary and stock-screen mentions (Zacks, dividend-aristocrat lists) emphasize ABT’s defensive characteristics, dividend safety and long-term value, which can support investor demand despite near-term noise. Why Abbott (ABT) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views diverging — Coverage shows only small shifts in modeled fair value overall, but several analysts are revising targets and re-weighting execution risk vs. long-run growth; this creates mixed signals and short-term volatility. How The Story On Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Targets And Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term earnings reception — Q4 revenue came in below consensus while EPS roughly met estimates, and sector Q4 comparisons flagged pockets of weakness; that revenue miss likely pressured the stock. Q4 Earnings Highs And Lows: Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Vs The Rest Of The Medical Devices & Supplies – Diversified Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target actions — Citigroup trimmed its price target slightly (from $140 to $136) while keeping a buy rating; small cuts across some desks add downward pressure even if sentiment remains constructive. Benzinga: Citigroup price target cut

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Freedom Capital upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $152.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.16.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE:ABT opened at $108.18 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.91 and its 200 day moving average is $124.08. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $105.27 and a 12 month high of $139.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.98 billion, a PE ratio of 29.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued 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. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The firm had revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The business’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is 67.74%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 885 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $102,288.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 146,377 shares in the company, valued at $16,918,253.66. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $108.73 per share, for a total transaction of $1,087,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 6,738,817 shares in the company, valued at $732,711,572.41. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.