Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 14.72%.The firm had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories updated its FY 2026 guidance to 5.380-5.580 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance to 1.250-1.310 EPS.
Here are the key takeaways from Abbott Laboratories’ conference call:
- Abbott closed the acquisition of Exact Sciences, which management expects to add about $3 billion of incremental sales in 2026 and expand Abbott into high‑growth cancer diagnostics, with integration described as progressing smoothly.
- The company lowered its adjusted EPS guidance midpoint to $5.48, a $0.20 dilution management attributes to the Exact Sciences acquisition, while maintaining a comparable full‑year sales growth outlook of 6.5%–7.5%.
- Medical devices and pipeline momentum were highlighted — earlier-than‑planned approvals and launches of two PFA catheters, double‑digit growth in electrophysiology, rhythm management and heart‑failure devices, and multiple upcoming trials/products (TAVR valve, leadless conduction pacing, mitral replacement, peripheral IVL, wearable lactate sensor) that management expects will accelerate growth.
- Rapid and molecular diagnostics sales fell ~10% due to a much weaker respiratory season than expected, a near‑term headwind in diagnostics that management chose not to assume would fully reverse in Q4.
- Nutrition showed early signs of volume recovery after strategic pricing actions and product launches, and CGM sales were $2 billion (up 7.5%) with management expecting Q2 return to double‑digit growth and future catalysts including type‑2 non‑insulin coverage and a dual‑analyte sensor.
Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 6.4%
Shares of ABT stock opened at $95.08 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $139.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $108.17 and its 200 day moving average is $119.01.
Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend
Abbott Laboratories News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Abbott Laboratories this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue and adjusted EPS roughly met/beat Street expectations (revenue $11.16B; adj. EPS $1.15), helped by medical-device and cancer‑diagnostics strength — this supports near‑term topline resilience. Abbott first-quarter results beat on cancer diagnostics, medical device strength
- Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital reaffirmed its Buy rating on ABT, which can provide dealer/analyst support amid the selloff. RBC Capital Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
- Positive Sentiment: Insiders added shares recently (about $3.1M), a small but constructive signal of management confidence. Abbott Laboratories Insiders Added US$3.10m Of Stock To Their Holdings
- Neutral Sentiment: Management says the Exact Sciences deal positions Abbott in high‑growth oncology diagnostics (longer‑term strategic benefit), though that was cited as the near‑term EPS drag. Abbott Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results; Updates Guidance to Reflect Acquisition of Exact Sciences
- Negative Sentiment: Abbott cut FY‑2026 and Q2 guidance to reflect roughly $0.20/share dilution from the Exact Sciences acquisition and issued softer Q2 EPS guidance than consensus — the guidance cut is the main driver of investor selling. Abbott Laboratories Cuts Outlook, Says Mild Flu Season Hurt Sales
- Negative Sentiment: Margin compression and weakness in the Nutrition segment (and a mild flu season that reduced testing/consumables) weighed on profitability expectations and investor sentiment. Abbott Stock Falls Despite Q1 Earnings & Revenue Beat
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction included downgrades in quantitative rankings and attention from health‑care ETFs, amplifying selling pressure beyond fundamental headlines. Abbott stock slips on guidance cut, ranks 10th in healthcare equipment Quant ratings
- Negative Sentiment: Potential legal/market risk from an Illinois NEC verdict was flagged as a new liability item for shareholders to monitor. What Abbott Laboratories (ABT)’s First Illinois NEC Verdict Means For Shareholders
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ABT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. 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, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $154.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABT
Insider Activity
In related news, SVP Eric Shroff sold 709 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total transaction of $81,946.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,526,575.12. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $70,850.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This represents a 0.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,055 shares of company stock worth $353,097. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 3,947,686 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $494,610,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169,184 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 8,185,642 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,025,578,000 after buying an additional 1,803,975 shares in the last quarter. Credit Agricole S A bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the third quarter valued at about $175,044,000. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 5,206,580 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $652,332,000 after acquiring an additional 1,193,410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,543,652 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $569,274,000 after acquiring an additional 669,525 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.
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.
Further Reading
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