Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $89.27, but opened at $95.29. Abbott Laboratories shares last traded at $100.4150, with a volume of 6,088,884 shares traded.

The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $12.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. 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.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.59%.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, slightly above prior expectations, signaling confidence in earnings momentum. Abbott Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.31 beat analyst estimates, while revenue grew 13% year over year, showing continued operating strength. Abbott Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management also raised its outlook on strong demand for heart devices, a key driver of second-half growth and a bullish signal for investors. Reuters: Abbott raises 2026 profit forecast on heart device strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported profit fell to $928 million from $1.78 billion a year earlier, but that decline appears to reflect comparison factors more than a deterioration in the core business. WSJ: Abbott Laboratories Sales Rise on Diagnostics Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Abbott’s Q3 EPS guidance of $1.38-$1.46 was roughly in line with analyst expectations, suggesting no major surprise in near-term outlook beyond the full-year raise.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.61.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau purchased 2,200 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought 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. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freemont Management S.A. boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 197.2% during the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 10,700 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $116,580,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 246,586 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $30,931,000 after buying an additional 48,286 shares during the last quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter valued at about $185,640,000. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,366,000. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $89.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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.