Waddell & Associates LLC Raises Stock Position in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Waddell & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 208.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,214 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,907 shares during the quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Independent Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 46.7% in the second quarter. Independent Financial Group LLC now owns 22,067 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $2,002,000 after buying an additional 7,021 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 7.9% during the second quarter. Security National Bank now owns 21,038 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 1,545 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,289,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 104,993 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $9,527,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,121 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,794 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Abbott Laboratories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet AI partnership expands Abbott’s growth opportunity: Abbott and Alphabet announced a multiyear collaboration integrating data from Abbott’s over-the-counter Lingo continuous glucose monitor into the Google Health app. Google’s AI Health Coach is expected to use the data to provide personalized recommendations, potentially increasing Lingo adoption and strengthening Abbott’s position in consumer digital health. Can Abbott Laboratories’ Lingo Partnership With Alphabet Unlock a New Era of AI-Powered Health?
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded ABT to Outperform: The firm raised its rating from “Peer Perform” and set a $130 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The upgrade indicates improving analyst confidence in Abbott’s earnings durability and growth prospects.
• Positive Sentiment: Established Pharmaceuticals remains a growth driver: Abbott’s Established Pharmaceutical Products division is benefiting from emerging-market demand, a broad branded-generics portfolio and biosimilar opportunities. This provides diversification beyond the company’s medical-device businesses. What’s Backing Abbott’s Established Pharmaceuticals Division Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent trading strength reflects broad investor support: Abbott outperformed some medical-product peers during a recent strong market session, while bullish commentary has highlighted the company’s diversified portfolio and long-term growth potential. Abbott Laboratories Stock Outperforms Competitors on Strong Trading Day
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a potential constraint: With a forward-looking earnings multiple above 36 and the stock already well above its recent moving averages, further gains may require continued earnings execution and evidence that newer initiatives such as Lingo can materially contribute to revenue.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ABT shares. Daiwa Securities Group lowered Abbott Laboratories from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $118.67.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $111.27 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $137.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $97.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The company had revenue of $12.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

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

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.