SFE Investment Counsel Grows Stake in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

SFE Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 90,251 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,513 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $8,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE ABT opened at $116.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $200.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $137.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $101.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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. Equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is currently 81.55%.

Key Stories Impacting Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA authorized Abbott’s Libre Duo 10 Day, the first continuous monitor designed to track both glucose and ketone levels. The device could strengthen Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre ecosystem, help identify rising ketones before diabetic ketoacidosis emergencies, and support compatibility with automated insulin-delivery systems. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target for ABT to $135 from $115 and maintained a “buy” rating. The upgrade signals confidence in Abbott’s growth prospects, particularly in continuous glucose monitoring and medical devices. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Medtronic’s MiniMed Flex insulin pump has begun shipping with an Abbott-made glucose sensor, expanding the potential distribution and application of Abbott’s sensor technology in automated insulin delivery. MedTech Dive article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons portray Abbott as a relatively attractive healthcare and continuous glucose monitoring investment, citing valuation, liquidity and price-target upside. These assessments may support sentiment but do not represent new company operating results. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Abbott agreed to pay $670 million to settle claims that its specialized premature-infant formulas contributed to necrotizing enterocolitis. The settlement removes some litigation uncertainty but highlights continuing legal and financial risks. Insider Monkey article
• Negative Sentiment: Diagnostics growth remains uneven: strong routine testing and 13% cancer-diagnostics growth are being partly offset by weaker respiratory testing demand. This could temper near-term revenue momentum. Yahoo Finance article

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ABT. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.50.

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.