Norges Bank Buys New Shares in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 23,456,714 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $2,938,892,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 175,556,716 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $21,995,501,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402,408 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.5% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 61,614,739 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $8,251,974,000 after acquiring an additional 1,478,076 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,500,829 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,804,050,000 after acquiring an additional 499,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 7.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 12,900,318 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,727,869,000 after acquiring an additional 864,531 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $85.36 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $139.06. The stock has a market cap of $148.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $94.46 and a 200-day moving average of $110.69. 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 (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.62% and a net margin of 13.90%.The company had revenue of $11.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ABT shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $131.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $137.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $150.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.09.

More Abbott Laboratories News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott recently secured FDA and EU approval for its AI-powered Ultreon 3.0 tool, which could support growth in its cardiovascular imaging business and add to its medical technology momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Abbott also obtained CE mark clearance for its Libre Duo glucose-ketone monitor, expanding its diabetes technology lineup and reinforcing innovation in one of its key growth categories. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighting strong Wall Street views on Abbott suggests analysts remain constructive on the stock’s long-term prospects, but the articles do not point to a new upgrade or a near-term earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that investors have been searching for Abbott more heavily, which can reflect increased interest, but does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One comparison piece argued Boston Scientific may offer more upside than Abbott, which can weigh on ABT sentiment by implying investors may prefer a rival medtech name right now. Article Title

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought 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 directly owned 6,751,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary K. Moreland sold 613 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.58, for a total value of $70,850.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,053,953.78. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,055 shares of company stock valued at $353,097. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Company 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.