OP Asset Management Ltd Acquires New Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 175,772 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $18,047,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12,439.6% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 39,319,009 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $4,926,279,000 after buying an additional 39,005,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $2,938,892,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 51.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,951,907 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,868,718,000 after acquiring an additional 4,713,135 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 303.0% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,429,571 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $454,784,000 after acquiring an additional 3,330,368 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth $336,815,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $90.46 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $89.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.69. The company has a market capitalization of $157.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.63. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $138.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.90% and a return on equity of 17.62%. The business had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given 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 yield of 2.8%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ABT shares. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $131.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup dropped their target price 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. Daiwa Securities Group lowered Abbott Laboratories from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.30.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott signed a global licensing agreement with ALZpath to incorporate its pTau217 antibody into a blood-based Alzheimer’s diagnostic, a potentially meaningful addition to Abbott’s diagnostics portfolio. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted growing momentum in Abbott’s emerging markets and EPD business, supported by branded generics demand, biosimilar expansion, and new approvals, which points to continued international growth. Article
• Positive Sentiment: MiniMed’s launch of Abbott Instinct sensors across European markets expands Abbott’s diabetes technology reach and reinforces the company’s connected care ecosystem. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott was also featured in bullish commentary as a durable dividend aristocrat with 54 straight years of dividend increases, which may be supporting investor sentiment around the stock. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott continued to draw investor and analyst attention, with articles noting strong interest and a “Moderate Buy” consensus, but these are more sentiment indicators than new fundamental developments. Zacks article
• Negative Sentiment: A Missouri appeals court decision allowing Abbott’s $495 million preterm baby formula verdict appeal to remain in place keeps a major legal overhang on the shares. Article

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 purchased at an average price of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares in the company, valued at $201,300. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks bought 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at $625,489,692.95. This represents a 0.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.