Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,499,503 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 108,313 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.20% of Abbott Laboratories worth $359,294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ABT. Freemont Management S.A. grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% in the fourth quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,341,000 after buying an additional 7,100 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $116,580,000. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at $185,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $30,931,000 after purchasing an additional 48,286 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,366,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of ABT stock opened at $92.01 on Tuesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $81.97 and a 1 year high of $137.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.86.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.380-5.580 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.310 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Philip P. Boudreau acquired 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $91.50 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ABT. Mizuho lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Evercore reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered Abbott Laboratories from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.42.

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.