Gabelli Funds LLC Cuts Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 22.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,900 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 12,900 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $4,610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings cut Abbott Laboratories from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Argus cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.17.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of ABT opened at $107.34 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $92.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $81.97 and a twelve month high of $137.49. The company has a market cap of $186.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.61.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly 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 17.65% and a net margin of 11.65%.The business had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.55%.

Abbott Laboratories News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and raised guidance support investor confidence. Abbott reported second-quarter earnings of $1.31 per share, above the $1.28 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $12.59 billion. Management raised its fiscal 2026 EPS outlook to $5.45-$5.60 and expects third-quarter EPS of $1.38-$1.46. Strong demand for cancer diagnostics and medical devices helped offset concerns about procedure volumes. Abbott Raised Its Profit Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Growth initiatives provide multiple expansion paths. Abbott is investing in diabetes care, oncology diagnostics and cardiovascular devices through new product launches and acquisitions, giving investors several potential sources of future sales growth. Abbott Rides Key Diabetes, Oncology and Heart Care Innovation Trends
• Positive Sentiment: New colorectal cancer screening rights strengthen Abbott’s diagnostics portfolio. Abbott secured exclusive U.S. commercialization rights for Freenome’s FDA-cleared SimpleScreen blood-based colorectal cancer test. The product could broaden screening access, particularly among Americans overdue for testing, although commercial adoption will determine the financial impact. FDA Approves Freenome’s SimpleScreen CRC Test
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive but see limited valuation upside. UBS lowered its ABT price target from $135 to $125 while maintaining a Buy rating, implying meaningful upside from the referenced trading level. Another analysis noted that Abbott’s earnings setup has improved, but its elevated valuation could constrain returns. UBS Abbott Price Target Update
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and litigation concerns remain overhangs. Despite the earnings beat and improved outlook, investors continue to monitor legal risks and whether projected growth will justify Abbott’s premium earnings multiple. Abbott Fell as Guidance and Litigation Concerns Overshadowed Growth

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.