Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $299.94 Million Stock Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,305,429 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 194,074 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $299,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nia Impact Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% in the second quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC now owns 3,706 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in Abbott Laboratories by 9.3% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 1,031 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 10,817 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,435 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 3,301 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of ABT stock opened at $116.70 on Tuesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49. The company has a market capitalization of $201.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.77, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The business’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ABT shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.67.

Key Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: New diabetes-device opportunity: Medtronic has begun shipping its MiniMed Flex insulin pump, which uses an Abbott-made glucose sensor. The launch and accompanying marketing campaign could expand Abbott’s sensor presence in the growing diabetes-care market. MiniMed starts shipping new insulin pump with Abbott-made sensor
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business remains diversified: Analyst commentary highlights Abbott’s established diagnostics, medical-device and nutrition franchises, along with long-term growth opportunities. Its latest reported quarter also exceeded consensus earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 13% year over year. Ken Griffin Just Loaded Up on AbbVie and Abbott
• Neutral Sentiment: Formula litigation clarity: Abbott agreed to pay approximately $670 million to resolve the Gill case and about 2,000 additional necrotizing-enterocolitis claims without admitting liability. The settlement is costly, but it removes uncertainty tied to a large jury award and provides greater visibility into remaining litigation exposure. How Investors Are Reacting To Abbott Laboratories US$670 Million NEC Settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor comparisons are favorable but valuation-sensitive: Articles describe Abbott as a potential long-term healthcare and dividend investment, though comparisons with Envista, Intuitive Surgical, Thermo Fisher and Johnson & Johnson emphasize differing growth, recovery and valuation profiles. NVST or ABT: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Diagnostics growth is uneven: Weaker respiratory-testing demand is offsetting healthy routine testing and approximately 13% growth in cancer diagnostics. This mix could moderate near-term Diagnostics momentum despite strength in higher-growth categories. Here’s What Is Shaping Abbott’s Diagnostics 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.