Liberty Capital Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 34,602 Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Liberty Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 34,602 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $3,140,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE:ABT opened at $110.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $191.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $81.97 and a 1-year high of $137.49.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 11.65%.The business had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.67.

About Abbott Laboratories

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.